She was playing a slot machine when a security guard fatally shot her. He’s been charged.
Arnitryce Crawford was playing a slot machine in a Southwest Miami-Dade adult arcade, with her back to the security guard on duty.
The security guard, Alejandro Cabrera-Cruz, 54, had just been given a gun by his supervisor that Friday morning and was trying to “familiarize himself with the weapon,” police said.
Cabrera-Cruz, according to police, missed a crucial step in gun safety — he didn’t unload the gun. Cabrera-Cruz accidentally shot Crawford in the back. Crawford, 62, later died.
On Tuesday, police charged Cabrera-Cruz with manslaughter.
“The defendant’s gross negligence while handling the firearm caused the victim’s demise,” a Miami-Dade police officer wrote in his arrest report.
Court records show Cabrera-Cruz had his first hearing Tuesday; a judge set his bond at $25,000 and confined him to house arrest.
On Friday, police responded near the 10900 block of Southwest 184th Street to a report of a shooting. There, officers found Crawford suffering from a gunshot wound to the back. Crawford was taken to Jackson South Medical Center in critical condition where she later died. Police say Cabrera-Cruz was “extremely emotional, apologetic and remorseful for the horrible accident.”
Meanwhile, friends and family took to social media to remember Crawford.
“My heart is broken, you always encouraged me & challenged me to be my best,” Sondra Riggins, Crawford’s sister, wrote on Facebook. “I never thought Wednesday would be our last time seeing each other.”
According to Facebook, Crawford was a mother of one with several grandchildren.
Crawford’s memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church in Cutler Bay.
This story was originally published November 12, 2019 at 7:37 PM.
