Gun-wielding dog owner kills armed robber, more updates on Miami’s bloody holiday weekend

Two men walking their French bulldog after a visit to Miami’s Midtown Miami shopping center were confronted in broad daylight by an out-of-town robber with a long rap sheet. All three men, it turns out, were armed.

When the tussle and gunfight stopped Monday evening, the armed robber had been shot 11 times. One of the robbery victims was shot in the shoulder. The third man survived shaken, but unscathed. The manager of the nearby PetSmart agreed to take the French bulldog overnight as police investigated the shooting outside the popular shopping center.

The new details, as provided by law enforcement sources, emerged Tuesday as police across Miami-Dade County grappled with a spate of high-profile shootings over the past week and the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Another shooting on Monday — partially captured on bystander video — happened outside the swank restaurant Prime 112 on South Beach. Two people were injured. Police detectives said they interviewed famous rapper Da Baby as part of their probe; he was released and the department said it was expecting to arrest two men for the shooting.

And homicide detectives were hunting for the killers involved in two mass shootings over the holiday weekend. Early Sunday morning, two men were killed and a staggering 21 wounded when gunmen outside a Northwest Miami-Dade banquet hall where a local rap label was hosting a concert. On Friday night, seven people were shot, one fatally, outside a rented event space in Wynwood; so far, there is no indication that the two mass shootings are related.

Investigators have offered few details on possible suspects or a motive in either shooting. Newly surfaced video of the El Mula banquet hall shooting shows the crowd scattering as bullets fly, with one woman writhing in pain on the parking lot. Another graphic video obtained by the Herald shows the shooting’s aftermath as paramedics treated a row of bloodied victims, a scene that resembled a war zone.

On CNN Tuesday afternoon, Miami Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez called the three banquet hall shooters “fake gangs and wannabes” reacting to social media vendettas.

The bloodshed continued Tuesday when a man was found shot to death on the 400 block of Northwest 165th Street. Details of the homicide were not immediately available.

Monday evening’s shooting at Midtown unfolded outside a parking garage on the 3100 block of North Miami Avenue. The two men walking their dog live in the area, and were returning home when they were confronted by Otis Brown, 38, of Leigh Acres, who tried to rob them.

According to a source, Brown and one of the men began grappling. The other man, who was legally armed with a Glock, hid briefly behind a post and heard his friend get shot in the shoulder. He emerged from behind the post and exchanged gunfire with Brown, who was hit 11 times.

The dog ran off, but was later rescued. The robbery victims both had their weapons legally, and are not expected to face charges. Investigators believe they acted in self-defense.

Brown, state records show, has done four stints in prison since 2000 on convictions including robbery, grand theft and carrying a concealed firearm. He was most recently released from prison in April 2020, after serving four years for cocaine possession. It was unclear Tuesday why Brown was in Miami.

Another fatal shooting happened on Monday in North Miami. Two men were ambushed by gunmen outside a home on the 12700 block of Northwest 10th Avenue. Killed was Edson Dorce, 21. A friend was wounded in the shooting, and police officers found over 18 bullet casings.

No arrests have been made.

Miami Herald staff writer Charles Rabin contributed to this report.

This story was originally published June 1, 2021 at 2:41 PM.