HOMESTEAD, Fla. – A police-involved shooting came to an end on the steps of Homestead City Hall early Sunday morning.
The Miami-Dade Police Department, Homicide Bureau, is investigating the shooting that involved a suspect shot by officers from the city of Homestead Police Department.
What led up to the shooting began Sunday around 2:30 a.m. when Homestead Police responded to a burglary-in-progress call at a home not too far from city hall between Krome Avenue and US-1.
After identifying the suspect, officers began blocking off the area, which is when they said they saw a man running away.
“At some point in the course of the incident, the subject produced a firearm, shot at the Homestead officers, forcing the officers to return fire, striking the subject,” Miami-Dade Police Det. Angel Rodriguez said.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
Local 10 at the scene captured video of the front of city hall covered with bullets and yellow evidence markers, which appeared to mark shell casings visible in a nearby parking lot. Detectives also used a yellow tarp to cover up the handcuffed body. Near the body appeared to be a handgun sitting on the ground.
While no officers were hurt in the shooting, Rodriguez said they were inches away from a different outcome.
“It was in this incident as well that a police officer from the City of Homestead sustained a gunshot wound that went through his pant leg, but did not penetrate his leg,” Rodriguez said.
Friends and family gathered at the scene during the day on Sunday, where the man, whose name has not been released by police, was killed.
John Osbun, a friend of the victim, said he was upset by what happened. “The cops need to be justified for this and they are getting away with it.”