MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A fugitive was killed by police after he used an assault rifle to open fire at officers Thursday night near Miami International Airport, authorities said.
FBI Special Agent Brian Waterman said the fugitive was armed with a rifle and exchanged gunfire with officers from the Miami-Dade and Miami police departments.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity was not immediately made available.
"He was involved in a hate crime investigation," Waterman said, declining to provide specifics.
Miami-Dade police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said the suspect fled from officers and a police pursuit ensued, during which time shots were fired.
A high-powered rifle was recovered at the scene.
Waterman said no law enforcement officers were injured in the shootout.
Dozens of police lights could be seen outside the nearby DoubleTree by Hilton when residents from a neighboring apartment building heard dozen of shots fired. One woman's video recording shot from a balcony indicated the shooting involved several weapons and lasted for about a minute.
As a Miami-Dade police helicopter flew over, FBI agents and officers with the Miami-Dade and Miami police departments focused on a white Jeep at the intersection of Northwest Seventh Street and Northwest 72nd Avenue.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the police-involved shooting.
Gay man's attack
Earlier Thursday, federal, state and local authorities were searching for Alexander Carballido, a 40-year-old convicted felon who was on probation when he was accused of using a firearm to commit a crime.
The 36-year-old victim, who is openly gay, provided detectives and Local 10 News with surveillance video showing an "angry and crazy" attacker he identified as Carballido.
The victim, who said he drives for Uber and works as a security guard, said Carballido probably spotted him at the XXX store on LeJeune Road by the airport "because a lot of gay men go there." He said he was there Monday.
He said Carballido likely got his phone number from a fellow Uber driver. The victim gave Carballido his address and invited him inside his home Wednesday in Allapattah.
The victim said once he was inside his home, Carballido forced him to take off his clothes, pointed a gun at him and said, "All gay men should be dead." The victim said he continued to insult him, and as he got dressed, Carballido pistol-whipped him and took $500 in cash and thousands in jewelry.
Florida Department of Corrections records show Carballido was released from prison July 1, after serving time for kidnappings, aggravated battery, carjacking with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding police and aggravated assault on a police officer.
Authorities didn't confirm if the hunt for Carballido was related to the fatal shooting. But the man who identified him as his attacker was with police officers in Doral during the shooting when a detective told him, "You can go home in peace. It's all over."