Standoff ends when police shoot man suspected of shooting attorney, killing wife, son

UPDATE: The suspect has been shot by police and taken into custody

A man suspected of shooting and killing his wife and son and badly wounding an attorney he did business with, was taken into custody after being shot by police late Wednesday afternoon after an almost three hour standoff.

Miami-Dade police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said Fadel Jabado was being airlifted to Jackson South Hospital. It wasn’t immediately clear why police fired at Jabado, who they had surrounded inside a car most of the afternoon in a South Dade field.

Police believe Jabado, 54, shot and killed his wife Bessima and oldest son at their Southwest Miami-Dade home and badly wounded real estate attorney Larry Harshman at his Kendall office, before escaping in a Chevy truck.

But they aren’t certain of the order of the shootings. What they do know is that they learned of Harshman’s shooting at his law office at 11420 N. Kendall Dr., at 10:30 a.m. The investigation then led them to Jabado’s home at 13570 SW 192nd St., where they found the two bodies.

By 2:30 p.m. police had spotted a man they believed was Jabado just Quail Roost Drive and Naranja Road in South Dade. They surrounded and negotiated with him for almost three hours until Miami-Dade Fire Rescue showed just after 5 p.m.

Harshman, the attorney, was taken to Kendall Regional Medical Center where he underwent surgery. His condition was unknown.

Records filed with the Miami-Dade clerk’s office show that Harshman was the attorney who drew up the paperwork when Jabado and his wife, Bessima, sold a South Miami-Dade home in a short sale in 2013.

Police said after shooting Harshman at his office at 11420 North Kendall Dr., Jabado fled in a silver Chevrolet truck. The search led police to what is still an active scene at a home at 13570 SW 192nd St.

Inside the home, Miami-Dade police found two bodies. Though they haven’t officially said the victims are related to Jabado, sources said identifed them as his wife and son.

“We found them in the house. They’re deceased. But we don’t know who they are,” said a law enforcement officer familiar with the investigation.

Frantic to secure Jabado’s children, the three Miami-Dade public schools which they attend — Herbert A. Ammons Middle School, Terra Environmental Research Institute and Jack Gordon Elementary — were briefly shut down until the children were found. The lockdown was lifted by early afternoon.

Miami-Dade County records show the home at 13570 SW 192nd St., is owned by Ahmad Abdullah Jabado. It’s not clear how or if he’s related to Fadel Jabado. A commercial database shows Fadel Jabado lives there as well.

It also shows Jabado once lived at 14480 SW 173rd St., a property Miami-Dade County records show is now owned by Ramzy M. Alsaidi. That’s the property that clerk records show connects Jabado to Harshman.

A friend of Jabado who has known him for 15 years said Jabado was having trouble selling his home and that he often fought with his wife Bessima about moving back to New Jersey.

“We were neighbors for a very long time. I had a house less than two blocks away,” said the friend. “But my God, I never expected anything like this. They were almost going to get divorced, but they seemed to work it out. They did fight a lot.”

The friend said Jabado had six children, four sons and two daughters.

Police are working on the belief that Jabado killed the two people in the home before shooting Harshman. But they stressed they’re not certain of the order.

This breaking news article will be updated as more information becomes available.

This story was originally published November 2, 2016 at 11:14 AM with the headline "Standoff ends when police shoot man suspected of shooting attorney, killing wife, son."