MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – A horrific scene unfolded on Sunday afternoon at a Miami-Dade Jewish Community Center.
According to family members, a young mother was gunned down by her husband.
They said it happened in front of the victim’s young child as they were taking swimming lessons.
For hours, police investigated the deadly shooting at the JCC in northeast Miami-Dade.
Family members identified the victim as 30-year-old Shandell Harris.
“She didn’t deserve to die like this, she didn’t deserve nothing,” said Aaron Batten, the victim’s cousin. “She was a great woman.”
Batten said Harris was at the JCC with her daughter for swim lessons, and that her husband followed her there and killed her.
“He followed her, chased her down and shot her like an animal,” said Batten.
A family member told Local 10 News that Harris was stabbed by the suspect on Saturday, but she did not report it to the police.
“Investigators found out today there was some sort of domestic incidents recently,” said Detective Alvaro Zabaleta of the Miami-Dade Police Department.
The JCC released a statement regarding the incident, which read, in part:
“Earlier today, there was a shooting at the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center with one fatality. Miami-Dade Police have confirmed it is being investigated as a domestic issue. The suspected gunman has been arrested, and police have indicated there is no known threat to the Jewish community. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the victim’s family.”
The center will resume normal operations on Monday, police said.
The center has security at its entrance, so there was a question on how the suspect got in armed.
“Inside, there are swimming classes open to the public,” Zabaleta said. “You can pay so they can attend classes.”
The suspect’s identity has not yet been released.