Locksmith dies after being shot in head by man he came to help, Miami police say

A locksmith who went to a Miami apartment complex to assist a man locked out of his apartment was shot in the head by the man he came to help, according to police.

At around 6:20 p.m. Friday, Miami officers arrived at 6355 SW Eighth St. after a 911 call came in about a shooting. Officers found Adrian Venero, 37, dead in the hallway of the seventh floor, according to the arrest affidavit of the alleged gunman, Luis Davis Lemus, 32.

A witness, identified as P.L., was found holding a revolver, police say. He told investigators that Lemus had fled the scene and said he had hurt someone. When officers inspected the revolver, they found five live rounds and one spent casing inside the cylinder.

Surveillance video from the building’s seventh floor showed Lemus wearing a white shirt with a light blue number 10 on the back, red shorts, multi-colored shoes and a bright red backpack, according to the affidavit. Venero was seen dressed entirely in black and pulling a black and red Husky rolling tool bag. The witness was also in the video, wearing a gray, black and white shirt with black jeans. The witness and Lemus were seen following Venero to an apartment.

The witness told police that he and Lemus had been changing the lock on Lemus’ front door, according to the affidavit. After installing the new lock, they accidentally locked themselves out of the apartment. They then contacted Venero, a locksmith, to help them get in.

According to the witness, while Venero was working on the lock, Lemus pulled out a gun and shot Venero in the head. Lemus then went downstairs and ran away.

Investigators found Lemus at the corner of Southwest 52nd Court and Seventh Street. When he was detained, he was wearing sneakers similar to those seen in the surveillance footage and was carrying a similar red backpack, police say.

It is unclear if Lemus and Venero knew each other before Friday or why Lemus allegedly pulled the trigger.

Lemus gave officers a brief statement that is redacted in the arrest affidavit. He is charged with second-degree murder.

Jail records show he is at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and has a bond status of “to be set.”

This story was originally published February 21, 2026 at 1:38 PM.