Miami-Dade

No bond for security guard in strip-club shooting

 

Security guard Lukace Kendle, who is accused of killing Kijuan Byrd and wounding Michael Smathers outside a nightclub, is in jail without bond.

abolivar@MiamiHerald.com

The strip-club security guard accused of shooting two men in the parking lot remained in the Miami-Dade jail Monday without bond.

Lukace Kendle was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. One man was killed and another was wounded in the shooting.

The 26-year-old Homestead man is being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, 7000 NW 41st St. He is being represented by Stephen Harper of the Miami-Dade public defender office. He did not return three calls on Monday.

The June 1 shooting unfolded when Kendle, who worked security at Club Lexx, came across two men parked beside the building, 12001 NW 27th Ave. in North Miami-Dade. He told police he felt threatened by the men and shot them.

Miami Gardens residents Kijuan Byrd, 29, was shot 11 times and died, according to police. Michael Smathers, 31, was shot four times and was listed in critical condition on Friday. Jackson Memorial Hospital declined to give an updated condition for him on Monday.

Kendle remained free for nearly a week as police investigated.

The death has taken a heavy toll on the Byrd family, said attorney Benjamin Crump, who also represents Smathers’ relatives. During his son’s funeral, Donald Byrd Sr. suffered a heart attack and has been confined to bed rest, Crump said.

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