Five people were found dead in a Miami Lakes home. Police say it was a murder-suicide
Miami-Dade police found five people dead in a Miami Lakes home Friday morning, including one man they believe killed the rest before turning the gun on himself.
“Everything is indicating to us that this is a murder-suicide,” Miami-Dade County Police spokesperson Alvaro Zabaleta told the Herald after a press conference in the quiet enclave just off Northwest 87th Avenue.
The scene is a stark contrast to the one resident Veronica Santiago is accustomed to.
“We ride bikes through here, it is a super safe neighborhood,” she told a gaggle of reporters. “Never anything happens like this. This is crazy, out of the ordinary.”
Just before 10 a.m., 911 received a call from a relative who could not contact their loved one inside the home, Zabaleta said. The relative drove to the house, met officers and explained the situation to them. From there, Zabaleta said, officers checked for open doors before finding an unlocked window and entering the home.
Once inside, they found five people — three women and two men — dead from gunshot wounds.
“They kept finding in different locations of the house more bodies, and they were all deceased from apparent gunshot wounds,” Zabaleta told the Herald.
Two of the bodies were found in two separate bedrooms, he said. Another was found in the garage.
A law enforcement source told the Miami Herald that three of the victims were relatives of the shooter who had just arrived from Cuba on Thursday.
Rolando Aguilar identified one of the victims as his ex-wife Yoanka Aguilar, 54, according to NBC 6. He said his son Dhani Aguilar, 34, also died.
“I can’t believe it,” he told NBC 6 in Spanish.
Santiago said she and her husband heard helicopters flying over their neighborhood and saw police dogs. That’s when they went to pick their children up from school.
“We didn’t know if there was somebody on the loose,” she said.
Santiago and her husband did not hear any gunshots, but said “the only thing that I do know is that he was not well in the head,” she said of the suspected shooter.
Zabaleta said officers had not interviewed the relative who found the five bodies at the scene, so any details regarding identities have not been released.
Despite the tragedy, Zabaleta said he doesn’t want residents to think they’re in danger.
“We feel that everything here is contained and isolated to this resident and there’s not necessarily a public safety factor.”
If you or someone you know is considering self-harm, call the National Suicide Hotline, available 24/7: 800-273-8255 (TALK). A live chat feature is also available.
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 11:40 AM.
