Police to step up patrols after shooting at popular South Beach hotel
MIAMI - Miami Beach Police said there will be stepped-up patrols over the holiday weekend following a fatal shooting at a popular South Beach hotel.
Miami Beach police said just after midnight they received a call about shots fired at the Clevelander South Beach Hotel.
They arrested Brandon Burris, 29, who has been charged with second-degree murder following the shooting.
When officers arrived, they found a man, 50-year-old Dion Moore, who had been shot multiple times and bullet casings on the floor of the lobby. Moore, who worked the front desk, was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center where he died.
Miami Beach police said they took Burris into custody nearby and recovered a firearm. Two witnesses identified him as the gunman, according to police.
Investigators said after speaking with witnesses and reviewing security video, they determined that Burris had tried to sneak into the hotel's nightclub through the lobby. After several failed attempts, he was approached by Moore and asked to leave, according to the arrest report.
Burris attempted to punch him, but missed, according to the report. As Moore began to walk away, Burris reportedly pulled a gun and shot at him. He was hit at least six times, according to police.
By all accounts, Moore was a friendly man who took great pride in his job. Those CBS4 spoke with that knew him shared those sentiments. They also share their disbelief that he was shot to death while working at the Clevelander Hotel.
He was always focused on the job," said Jean Paul. "A very nice person."
Jean Paul manages the valet service outside the Clevelander Hotel where Moore worked. Paul was working the night Moore was shot and killed.
"I left early," Paul recalled.
"Somebody staying at the hotel posted on Instagram that something had happened, and there were cops all over," shared Paul.
Police say the victim, Moore, was shot six times. He was rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center but did not survive.
"He seemed really kind," said Nkidani Regnier" "He was very soft-spoken."
Like Moore, Regnier works in the hospitality industry in Miami Beach. How Moore died troubles Nkidani.
"A lot of times, you tell people kindly to leave the bar, or whatever the place might be, and they get aggressive," mentioned Regnier. "Sometimes, you have to diffuse the situation. Sometimes no matter what you say or do, there is still confrontation."
"It's becoming very dangerous," said Regnier. "It's a nice beautiful place. At times, when the holidays come around, you have to watch your back."
CBS4's Peter D'Oench spoke with a hotel guest from Minnesota who heard the shots that were fired and spoke with hotel employees about the shooting. Ramos said "We heard a couple of gunshots. Then police got there with an ambulance and they were blocking the hotel entrance."
Moore collapsed in the lobby as Burris ran off.
Cell phone obtained by CBS4 showed police responding quickly to the hotel and Moore being taken away on a stretcher.
Ramos said, "I feel lucky because I was walking around the lobby 10 minutes before that and that could have been me, It is really crazy. You come here for business or on vacation and this happens really close to you. The guy who got shot he did not want to fight with the other man and he walked inside the hotel and that's when the guy came after him and shot him."
The Clevelander issued the following statement:
"We are devastated about the tragedy that occurred in the lobby of the Clevelander Hotel at approximately midnight on Thursday evening. One of our valued employees needlessly lost his life. We are fully cooperating with the Miami Beach Police Department as it conducts a thorough investigation and defer to them for further comment. Our top priority is the safety and wellness of all guests and employees at the Clevelander Hotel."
This was the second shooting on Miami Beach this week. On Thursday, a man was shot to death inside a car at Collins Avenue and 14th Street.
Those visiting the area said they were alarmed when they heard about the shootings.
"It's very unfortunate. It's an unfortunate event and unsafe when you want to come and have a nice time," said Nicole Johnson from Houston.
"Of course, it concerns me. There are shootings all around. Before I got here I was thinking 'geez, I'll have to have my head on a swivel' because I don't know what's going on," said Erna Isaac from Boston.
Alana Barros, another tourist from Boston, said "It concerns me honestly. It is very concerning and scary, especially for a young person like me."
Miami Beach City Commissioner Alex Fernandez told D'Oench "It's extremely unfortunate to see what is happening all through Miami-Dade County and South Florida and the country. This is one more example of a crazy person. How many police officers do we have to have to prevent this from happening. The answer is no amount of officers could prevent something like this from happening. This is an issue with society and until our society takes issue with gun violence in society and until we pass real policies restricting gun ownership, I don't think we are going to see solutions in our society."
Fernandez said "Our community is a safe community and I want our community to know that our police will be out there with enhanced enforcement. You will see them on Ocean Drive, on Collins Avenue, on Washington Avenue. We will be doing DUI checkpoints and our police will be responding quickly."
