MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – One person died and another is in custody after exchanging gunfire inside a southwest Miami-Dade Walmart Wednesday afternoon, police said.
Officers responded to the Walmart Supercenter in the 21000 block of Dixie Highway, near Goulds, at around 3 p.m.
Shoppers like Lily Sorzano were sent into hiding when the gunfire erupted.
“I hear five more and I thought oh no that sounds like gunshots, and then I told my mom lets hide,” she said.
Sorzano was shopping near the electronics department and thought it was an active shooter situation when she heard more gunshots.
“I thought thats it, they’re going to shoot us up right now,” she said.
Police said the shooting stemmed from a fight. A spokesperson would not confirm which section of the store the shooting happened in.
The victim, an adult, was taken to Jackson South Medical Center and later pronounced dead. One person was taken into custody while running away from the store, police said.
Family members identified the victim as 19-year-old Noah Perez. They said he was shopping at the store with his mother and young child.
Those family members had to leave the hospital and rush to their home due to an accidental fire.
Authorities said it appeared something was left on the stove and caught fire.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue initially reported “several people receiving injuries” following the shooting, but the agency later confirmed that only one person had been shot and there were no other injuries related to the incident.
Police said the shooting was not an active shooter situation.
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Editor’s note: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue initially reported to Local 10 News that “several” people had received injuries after the shooting. The agency later corrected its initial report to note that only one person was shot.