3 men charged following the fatal shooting inside a South Florida Walmart, police say
Three men are behind bars Thursday for their involvement in the fatal Walmart shooting in Florida City the day prior that left one dead, one shot in the foot and several others with minor injuries from the ensuing chaos.
Steve Lestin, a 25-year-old from Homestead, is facing a charge of second degree murder with a weapon and attempted felony murder. Roberto Acevedo, a 20-year-old from Florida City, and Jimari Hodge, a 21-year-old from Florida City, are both facing a charge of battery. As of Thursday, the trio still remain in jail, records show.
Just before 3 p.m. Wednesday, Lestin, Acevedo and Hodge approached Nathaniel Baez, 23, and another unidentified man inside the Walmart, 33501 S. Dixie Highway, a Miami-Dade police arrest report read.
The trio started a fight with the two men, punching them repeatedly. During the scuffle, Lestin pulled out a gun and shot several times — hitting both the victims.
The two men were rushed to the hospital. Baez died from his wounds a little more than an hour later, the report read. The second victim was shot in the foot and was eventually released from the hospital.
A woman also suffered a head injury from a fall in the chaos that followed the shooting. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue also treated five other people for minor cuts and scrapes.
After hearing the shots ring out, witnesses told the Miami Herald that they bolted.
“I heard the shots, and I ran out,” said a woman who was inside the store and did not want to be named.
Lestin, Acevedo and Hodge were caught Wednesday. Lestin confessed to shooting the victims, police noted.
Hodge was sentenced to probation for 2019 charges of concealed firearms carrying and possession of a firearm by a felon. Lestin and Acevedo did not have any relevant criminal convictions in Miami-Dade.
Miami Herald Reporter David J. Neal contributed to this story.
This story was originally published July 20, 2023 at 4:03 PM.
%20Cropped%20(2).jpg)