Man hospitalized after being shot by Miami officer near Coral Gables, police chief says
A man was taken to the hospital Thursday morning after being shot by a Miami police officer near Coral Gables, said Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina.
Even after a statement by Colina during a news conference, what actually happened in the 2800 block of Southwest 38th Avenue Thursday morning remained unclear.
Colina said Miami police received a call about a pickup truck that hit a tree and items that were in front of a house. Several calls of shots fired soon followed.
Kenny Gomez, who said he lives three houses away from where the shooting took place, said the sound of gunfire — about five or six shots — woke him up around 9 a.m. Thursday. Other residents also heard five shots.
As officers investigated, one of the officers came in contact with a man. The officer shot him.
“We believe the subject was armed,” Colina said. “I have not toured the scene. The information I received was that there was a second weapon on the scene. But until FDLE releases that, I don’t want to make the assumption.”
Colina did not disclose the name of the man who was shot or the name of the officer that was involved in the shooting. He said the injured man was about 57 years old and taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital. His condition is still unknown.
The officer involved in the shooting has not provided a statement yet, but Colina said they “believe everything was captured on body worn camera.”
Colina said Miami police hadn’t responded to a call in the neighborhood in three years. The area is within the City of Miami on the other side of a barrier and gate at the east end of Coral Gables’ Cadima Avenue.
On Thursday morning, the last day of 2020, parts of the neighborhood were blocked off by crime scene tape for the investigation. Several people gathered together, consoling each other.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is handling the investigation, as is standard for police shootings. Miami police homicide and internal affairs detectives are also investigating.
This story was originally published December 31, 2020 at 10:02 AM.
