Man shot dead outside Coral Gables condo. Massive response leads to capture of suspects
UPDATE: Two teens have been charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of a 67-year-old man who, police say, did not struggle with them as they tried to rob him. Read full story here.
The shooting death of a man at a loading dock near a garage in downtown Coral Gables Friday morning launched a sprawling search and chase that included three police agencies, helicopters, K9s, SWAT and the closing of several busy roadways.
By noon, about two hours after the shooting, police had two men in custody — both captured in yards of Coconut Grove homes several miles from the shooting. The suspects did not put up a fight, police said.
“There were no shots fired, no K9 bites,” said Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak.
Read next: Coconut Grove homeowners saw Gables shooting suspects run through their yards
Police did not expect to release the name of the shooting victim or the two men taken into custody until late Friday or Saturday. Hudak said the victim might have been a worker at the condo building, Ten Aragon, but he didn’t live there.
What also remained unclear: What prompted the shooting.
“It doesn’t appear they knew each other,” Hudak said of the victim and the shooting suspects.
Witness accounts paint a picture of mayhem, with police swarming the usually peaceful section of Coconut Grove in such large numbers some likened it to a war zone.
Photos: The shooting scene in Coral Gables and police hunting for suspects in Coconut Grove
“There were so, so many police and two SWAT teams,” said Oliver Abreu, who owns Sun Cycling on Bird Avenue and 27th Avenue. “I saw them coming out of their cars with guns and running down the street. It was a weird morning. I’ve never seen that kind of thing in six years here.”
Kathy Brana and the rest of the staff at the popular eatery Flanigan’s Seafood Bar & Grill on Bird Avenue were preparing for Friday lunch when all hell broke loose outside their front door.
“We saw a bunch of cop cars swarm by going really fast,” she said. “It was crazy. Nobody knew what was happening. Then it was like the entire police department arrived and there was caution tape and cops in bullet-proof vests everywhere.”
According to police and witness accounts, the shooting victim was near a loading dock at the condominium at 10 Aragon Ave. when the two men in a Dodge sedan pulled up around 10 a.m.. There was some type of argument and shots were fired. The victim died on the scene.
As the men took off, they were spotted by a Coral Gables K9 officer, who gave chase. The fleeing car crossed busy U.S. 1 before both men bailed out. By then, Miami and Miami-Dade police had set up a perimeter in the Bird Avenue area of northwest Coconut Grove, just down the street from Flanigan’s.
As police helicopters and K9s joined the search for the two men, Hudak said calls started coming in from concerned homeowners in the Grove who said they saw someone running through their yards. Many roadways were closed down, but some summer schools remained open.
By noon, police dogs had caught the scent and the two men were taken into custody. Their splitting up and attempts to hide on residential properties had failed, police said.
Hudak said surveillance video had captured the shooting. Miami-Dade Police will investigate the homicide. The men were expected to be charged late Friday or Saturday.
Miami Herald Staff Writer Douglas Hanks contributed to this story.
This story was originally published July 22, 2022 at 11:55 AM.
