Veteran off-duty Miami-Dade police officer fatally shoots man at Homestead shopping plaza
Miami Florida January 22, 2023 A veteran off-duty officer with the Miami-Dade Police Department came to the aid of a private security and shot and killed a man Saturday evening at a strip shopping center in Homestead, authorities said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting, which occurred around 6 p.m. in the Oasis Plaza, located at NE 8th Street, according to officials.
It was not immediately clear if the officer, who has been on the force for 30 years, will be placed on administrative duty while the FDLE investigation occurs.
Investigators said the man, whose identity was pending, was in the parking lot and near a car and had a gun on him.
According to police, that man opened fire and the bullet struck a car in the parking lot, which is when the security officer confronted him.
That’s when the man allegedly brandished his gun to the security guard, who called Homestead police.
Officers arrived a short time later on the scene and confronted the man.
While this was happening, the off-duty Miami-Dade police officer happened to be in the parking lot, waiting for his spouse to leave the grocery store. The off-duty officer noticed the suspect was armed and that’s when he got involved.
“Both officers gave multiple verbal commands to this individual to put the firearm down,” Miami-Dade detective Alvaro Zabaleta said. “And to place the firearm on the ground, the individual refused and then that’s when you hear that the shots.”
Zabaleta said the man was flown to Jackson South Trauma Center, where he died.
It was not immediately clear why the man was at the center or why he fired the weapon.
No other injuries were reported.