MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A man and a woman were killed Thursday in a murder-suicide, authorities said.
Miami-Dade police said they were called about 8:15 a.m. to the Skylake Gardens apartment complex at 1663 NE Miami Gardens Drive.
The suspect, identified by relatives as Manuel Navarro, 54, was pronounced dead at the scene after he apparently shot himself.
Police said the woman, identified as Yasmina Jamal, 61, was getting out of her car when her neighbor, Navarro, approached her.
Police said he pulled out a gun and shot Jamal before going into her apartment, where she lived with her brothers, and firing more shots.
No one was injured inside the apartment, police said.
Authorities said Navarro walked to his apartment, where he shot himself.
Jamal was taken as a trauma alert to Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, where she later died.
Neighbors told Local 10 News that Jamal wanted to file a restraining order against Navarro, because of numerous issues and arguments between the two.
They said Jamal never filed the restraining order because she was warned by someone at the courthouse that Navarro would "go nuts."
But Thursday's argument would lead to gunfire, neighbors and the suspect's brother said.
"I can't believe it. This is my little brother," Miguel Navarro said.
Miguel Navarro said his brother had problems with Jamal for years.
"His neighbor moved in a few years ago. She's been bothering him, making noise upstairs, scratching his car, doing all kinds of things," he said.
Miguel Navarro said his brother had been living at the apartment complex for more than 20 years. He said Manuel Navarro constantly fought with Jamal once she moved in.
"The police have been here a million times," he said.
Miguel Navarro said Thursday morning's argument sent his brother off the deep end.
"He called my sister to tell her, 'I'm going to kill my neighbor.' My sister told him, 'No, no, no, no, no!' and 'Pop,' she heard a shot," Miguel Navarro said.
Miguel Navarro said his brother then turned the gun on himself before firing the fatal blow.
Neighbors familiar with the pair's arguments said that Navarro was the aggressor and that Jamal was frightened of him.
"He's threatened us before to kill us," one woman said. "I went with Yasmina to the courts a year and a half ago to file a complaint about him, to file a restraining order and they told me, 'Don't file a restraining order because he'll go crazy.'"
Miguel Navarro said his brother had mental issues and that an incident not too long ago prompted him to call police and tell them that he had a gun, which was never taken away from him.