DORAL, Fla. – The driver of a 2014 Dodge Durango killed a 63-year-old man Friday outside Miami International Mall, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department.
Ruben Betancourt was in the driver's seat. Leonardo Vivancos, who was a store manager at Mayors Jewelers, was in the front passenger seat.
The two got out of the car at the delivery area of the mall, 1455 NW 107 Ave., and opened the rear door of the car.
Betancourt, 66, returned to the driver's seat and "inadvertently hit the gas pedal, putting the vehicle in reverse and striking Vivancos," Detective Marjorie Eloi said in a statement.
When Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived, Vivancos was dead. Sky 10 was above the scene as a tarp covered his body.
"We noticed it was going on for like two hours and, you know, (there) were a lot of police going in and out," Rooms To Go employee Maria Santana said.
Alein Calaso, the Miami International Mall manager, released a statement with a message of condolences for Vivancos' family and friends.
Vivancos "was a valued and beloved member of the Miami International Mall community," Calaso said.
Police continue to investigate the death.