HIALEAH, Fla. – A Hialeah man was arrested Sunday after he fatally shot his neighbor who he had been feuding with about a parking space, authorities said.
According to an arrest report, Jose Suarez, 72, had been feuding with the victim and her boyfriend about the parking space and damage to vehicles outside their apartment complex at 950 W. Third Ave.
Police said Suarez claimed that he crossed paths with the victim, identified by loved ones as Lourdes Torres, in their building as he was going to buy lottery tickets and claimed that Torres suddenly lunged at him with a knife in the stairwell as she was walking up the stairs.
Suarez said he then shot Torres in the head with his Beretta 9 mm gun, authorities said.
During questioning, detectives told Suarez there were inconsistencies in his statement, at which time Suarez said he never saw the victim's hands and never saw a knife, the arrest report stated.
According to the report, Suarez said Torres was startled to see him in the stairwell, at which time he shot her in the head.
When authorities told Suarez there were still inconsistencies in his statement, Suarez allegedly recanted his claims and said the victim was actually walking down the stairs holding a bag.
"You got me," police said Suarez told them in Spanish after his final statement.
Police said Suarez refused to provide any further details.
He was arrested on a second-degree murder charge.
Hialeah police returned to the suspect's apartment complex Monday in reference to accusations that Suarez's wife was harassing the victim's family.
"He killed my wife and then she wants to continue provoking and looking for problems," Torres' boyfriend said.
Torres' boyfriend told Local 10 News that he is now trying to raise enough money to send her ashes back to Cuba where her family and friends still live.