Miami Gardens - Opa-locka

Anonymous tipster leads police straight to Miami Gardens attempted murderer, cops say

By Monique O. Madan
Miami Gardens investigators say Jamal Bethel, 22, shot a person outside a Family Dollar store last week.
Miami Gardens investigators say Jamal Bethel, 22, shot a person outside a Family Dollar store last week. Miami Gardens police

Miami Gardens detectives have arrested a man charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.

The arrest came just hours after the department asked for the public's help in finding 22-year-old Jamal Bethel.

"With the help of a Crime Stopper's tip, Jamal Bethel was taken into custody this evening," the department posted on Twitter. "This is a sign that we, as a community are willing to work together to keep our streets safe."

Investigators say Bethel shot a person outside a Family Dollar store alongside Northwest 27th Avenue and 196th Street last week after getting into an argument. The victim survived.

Since last Saturday, there have been five shootings in Miami Gardens. Eight people were shot, four of which died.

Bethel spent 23 months in Florida prison after being convicted of two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, records show.

Since his release in June 2017, he's picked up another conviction, for felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.


He was given two days in Miami-Dade County jail and still owes $603 on his $668 fine. Then, in May, Bethel pleaded not guilty to violating a domestic violence injunction. That case is still working its way through the court system, records show.


Miami Herald Staff Writer David J. Neal contributed to this report.

This story was originally published June 24, 2018 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Anonymous tipster leads police straight to Miami Gardens attempted murderer, cops say."

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