A teenager shot to death at a bus bench launched the first homicide investigation ever for the Miami Gardens Police Department.

His name was Miguel Alexander Pineiro. He was 19. His father met the same demise, fatally shot the day before his son's birth in 1989.

Tasked with finding Miguel's killer is Miami Gardens' new robbery-homicide unit.

So far, his death is a whodunit.

Miguel was shot once Tuesday night in a possible robbery just after 10 p.m. while sitting at a bus bench under a half-moon in front of the Cloverleaf Shopping Plaza on U.S. 441, just north of the Golden Glades interchange.

Doctors declared him dead at Memorial Hospital West in Pembroke Pines.

Until last week, Miami Gardens' homicide calls went to the Miami-Dade Police Department.

The city, incorporated in 2003, created a police department that began patrols last December. As with many cities, however, Miami-Dade's large investigations bureau still handled major crimes.

On Oct. 1, Miami Gardens took over robberies, rapes and homicides.

Tuesday night, just past 11 p.m., the phone call rustled Miami Gardens Capt. Ralph Suarez from his slumber. He had fallen asleep watching the presidential debate.

He drove to the scene to meet up with his homicide-robbery unit.

Suarez picked former Miami Sgt. Jose ''Pepi'' Granado to head the day shift.

The afternoon team is led by Sgt. Dave ''Spiffy'' Simmons, formerly of Miami-Dade.

Tuesday's killing fell to the afternoon detectives.

The lead: Stephen Parr, a Miami-Dade homicide detective of 26 years lured from retirement working patrol in Hallandale Beach.

''It's comforting to know we have one of the most experienced detectives assigned to a difficult investigation,'' Simmons said.

Suarez and investigators, just past midnight Wednesday, shone flashlights on the blacktop of the strip mall at Northwest 182rd Street.

It was a lonely, breezy night. No onlookers. No television news cameras.

The scene was lighted by flashing patrol car lights and the electronic strip club sign: ''Tootsie's Cabaret is here one block east'' and ``Now appearing Schevelle Live!''

Witnesses, from afar, saw three young men -- possibly would-be robbers -- sprint through the shopping plaza, past the old Love Boat Chinese restaurant and scale a wooden fence to disappear into someone's back yard.

Miguel had left on the sidewalk a black book bag stuffed with T-shirts.

A ROUGH TIME

The curly-locked teen had been bouncing around in recent months, crashing with relatives and friends.

His life had been a string of bad events.

He was born at Jackson Memorial Hospital three months premature. His father was shot dead during an argument with another man the day before.

Miguel's mother, suffering from schizophrenia, is in a mental institution.

''He didn't have a good life,'' said his uncle, Alex Andujar, 39. ``But my oldest nephew wasn't a troublemaker.''

Miguel had held sporadic work: at a laundromat; at a Dunkin Donuts; odd jobs for his uncle. A few days ago, Miguel sold his laptop for $300 to pay his credit card bill.

The last time Andujar saw his nephew was Saturday. The teen visited briefly, eating soup and rice, and asking for a ride to the bus stop in the rain.

`ACTING WEIRD'

''Lately, he was acting weird,'' Andujar said.

After that, Miguel's whereabouts are a mystery.

Said Sgt. Simmons: ``We'd like to know what he was doing in that area that would give us a reason why he would be catching a bus.''

Police asked anyone with information to call Parr at 305-474-1424 or Miami-Dade CrimeStoppers at 305-471-8477.

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