Police make arrest in 2024 murder of rollerblader in North Miami Beach
North Miami Beach police arrested a man in connection to the 2024 murder of a barber who was fatally shot while rollerblading.
Wilton “Frieza” Mena, 36, was found dead with a bullet wound to his head around 2 a.m. on Oct. 1, 2024, on the 1700 block of Northeast 167th Street. He was a well-known employee at the Cibao Barbershop with a wife and two young sons.
Detectives got a break in the case this week when a witness who saw the shooting came forward, according to the arrest report of 21-year-old Ryan Sutton. The witness, a teenage girl, told detectives that Sutton opened fire because he was angry after seeing Mena talk with her, according to the report.
The witness said she had not previously gone to the police because she was afraid Sutton would harm her if she did, according to the report.
Sutton was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Thursday on a charge of second-degree murder. Information on his legal representation was not available, and a judge had not set bond as of Friday.
The witness told police that she and Sutton, who had known each other for about two years, had been arguing prior to the shooting. Sutton asked her to leave the area, but she refused, so he left, she told detectives, according to the report. He didn’t go far though, walking into an abandoned building.
Soon after, Mena arrived on his rollerblades and sat next to her, according to the report. He asked her if she was OK, she told police. The witness responded that she was fine, and he left, rollerblading toward his apartment, according to the report.
That’s when Sutton emerged from the abandoned building holding a black handgun, the girl told police, according to the report. Detectives stated that Sutton yelled at Mena to come talk to him, but he kept rollerblading away. Sutton then began shooting, according to the report, striking Mena.
Detectives found 10 spent shell casings near Mena’s body, according to the report.
