MIAMI – A woman who was the subject of an eviction warrant was shot dead by Miami-Dade police on Tuesday after she opened fire, the county’s police director said.
It happened in the Brickell area of the City of Miami.
The 40-year-old woman living on the top floor of the Brickell First Apartments building (110 SW 12th St.) was the target of an eviction. Officers had reason to suspect it would be unusually dangerous as they planned to serve the warrant Tuesday morning.
Authorities say officers approached the front door and announced the reason they were there, but the woman refused to open the door to the apartment.
When the warrants team breached the door, they say the woman fired a gun at them and at least one officer fired back.
The woman, whose identity has not yet been released, was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center, where she was pronounced dead.
No officers were hurt.
The police task force involved Tuesday was created specifically for eviction situations like these.
“We created the task force for the sheer number of evictions that are going on right now,” Miami-Dade County Police Director Freddy Ramirez said. “For those who are in these residences, it’s a very touchy situation, a very dangerous situation for my officers. We take all the proper precautions to ensure safety, but unfortunately, this is one of the scenarios that we always worry about.
“Our officers were prepared and trained. It’s just an unfortunate outcome, but she fired at my officer.”
Ramirez said the woman, who lived there alone, hadn’t been paying her rent, which led to the eviction.
Neighbors in the building say they know the woman who was involved and that she was the subject of numerous complaints, some involving her threatening them with a gun.
“We were playing loud music and she came and knocked on the door and pointed a gun at us,” said one building resident who spoke off-camera. “That was about three weeks ago.”
Detectives from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the police use of deadly force, as is standard procedure.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact Miami-Dade CrimeStoppers at 305-471-8477.
Update: tenant is deceased.
— Glenna Milberg (@GlennaWPLG) April 6, 2021
Here’s a quick clip of the briefing just now from #Miami Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez@WPLGLocal10 ▶️ pic.twitter.com/5K3i3CI6ca
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