Neighbors appeal for help after Argentinian tourist shot on Miami Beach
MIAMI BEACH - Residents of a Miami Beach neighborhood are appealing for the public's help as police scour the area looking for a man who shot a 25-year-old tourist from Argentina and fled with just $1 in a botched robbery.
They said they were they are horrified when they saw new images from a surveillance video that shows what happen during the robbery.
It was captured last Thursday, around by 4:30 a.m., by a camera on a building at 8th Street and Michigan Avenue.
The man was sitting on some steps outside an apartment building with a friend when a stranger approaches and demanded money. The victim said he had no money and is then shot in the stomach. His friend then gave the shooter a dollar bill.
The gunman then ran off.
The critically injured man is now in a medically-induced coma at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Annie Borione, a neighbor who lives across the street, told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "I think this is terrible, the poor guy. I hope he will make it. I think it is very dangerous with people carrying guns all over. It is very sad. He is such a young person. He is a student in architecture and has just been here a couple of months."
Juan Carlos Matos has lived in the neighborhood for a long time.
"I think it is really bad what is happening here in Miami with all these crimes. Somebody getting shot for what I heard was just a dollar. This is bad for our city. I hope they catch him real son. We don't need these criminals in the street. We need to get them out," he said.
The victim's father Fernando Gallardom, said Tuesday, "My son has been here for two months. He came to visit friends. They robbed him and they assaulted him. We had to come here for this emergency. My son is fighting for his life. He is intubated and sedated. In the last 24 hours, we thought he was going to die. I am asking the public that if anybody sees anything, it could be your son or your daughter."
Police released a composite sketch of the suspect, saying he is a white, Hispanic male, between 28 and 32 years old and between 5'5" to 5'8" tall with dark brown hair. He has a goatee and a tattoo on the right side of his neck. Police say that tattoo may depict Chinese, Japanese or tribal symbols. They also say he walks hunched over.
Anyone with information should call Miami Beach Police or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
There is a reward of up to $1,000 and callers will remain anonymous.
