Miami-Dade police kill man after they say he claimed to be ill, then pulled hidden gun
A Miami-Dade police officer assisting federal agents shot and killed a man in a West Miami-Dade home on Thursday when he grabbed a hidden gun after police had removed his handcuffs, law enforcement sources said.
The 53-year-old, who was uncuffed after complaining of chest pains, reached under a couch to grab the weapon as Miami-Dade Fire Rescue was attending to him, police said.
“While he was getting medically evaluated, the subject somehow was able to arm himself,” said Miami-Dade Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta. “That’s when shots were fired.”
Police did not immediately release the man’s name or the name of the officer who killed him. A woman named Jessica showed up at the scene crying and said her parents wouldn’t answer the phone. She said her father suffered from diabetes.
A law-enforcement source late Thursday identified the man as Hector Portuondo, 53.
Speaking to the media outside the home in the 12700 block of Southwest 19th Street, Zabaleta said Miami-Dade Police were helping U.S. Marshals and Homeland Security in an “ongoing investigation” at the property.
Zabaleta wouldn’t go into detail about the investigation or say exactly why law enforcement was there to begin with. Law enforcement sources said police were helping federal agents in a narcotics investigation. The police spokesman called officers at the scene a “protective barrier” for the medics who were focused on helping the suspect.
Zabaleta said a few hours after the man and a woman believed to be his wife were detained, the man claimed to have chest pains. It was about 11:20 a.m. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue showed up shortly after and that’s when the shooting happened.
“They sat him on the couch. He pulled out a gun. They had to take his life,” said Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association. “It just proves these situations can be very dangerous. You never know what’s waiting for you.”
Zabaleta said police were still trying to determine if the man who was killed had fired his weapon. A law enforcement source said he did not. Only one officer was believed to have shot the man. No one else was injured, police said. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting.
Thursday’s shooting was latest in a spate of police shootings in South Florida. It was at least the sixth time a local police officer has fired a weapon in the past six weeks. Five of the shootings were deadly.
▪ A Miami police officer killed 70-year-old Lazaro Vargas-Yera in his home during a domestic violence call on Valentine’s Day after he found the man’s wife severely injured inside the home. Police said there was an exchange of gunfire.
▪ On March 10 another Miami police officer shot and killed Antwon Leonard Cooper, 34, outside of Miami Northwestern Senior High after a traffic stop. Cooper was wrestling with and had an officer on the ground, when he was shot by a sergeant who showed up at the scene.
▪ A day later on March 11, a Miami Gardens police officer got into a shootout on a busy roadway with several men who had just shot into a school and injured two people. Miraculously, no one was hurt in the shootout.
▪ On March 14 a Miami-Dade police officer shot and killed a man in Miami Lakes who had crashed into several cars then got out of his vehicle in a strip mall parking lot and threatened a woman with two kitchen knives, police said.
▪ And less than a week ago, a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy shot and killed Zy’Shonne Johnson, 23, behind BSO headquarters on Broward Boulevard during a chase after a drug bust, BSO deputies said.
Miami Herald Staff Writer Devoun Cetoute contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 31, 2022 at 12:51 PM.
