NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – New video obtained by Local 10 News shows the moments leading up to the deadly police shooting of a man authorities say wielded a machete and later took a hostage at a North Miami Beach office building.
The shooting happened sometime before 2 p.m. Thursday at an office building at 16855 NE 2nd Ave., less than a mile east of the Golden Glades interchange.
Family members identified the suspect as 38-year-old Edridge Alexis.
According to police, officers responded after receiving a 9-1-1 call about a man holding a large knife in the street near Alexis’ home.
Police said they attempted to use a taser on the suspect but that seemed to set him off even more, and he ran into a nearby building and held a machete to a woman’s neck.
Police said they shot Alexis in order to save the woman’s life.
Witnesses said the woman, who is believed to be OK, was a patient at a doctor’s office.
The video, taken from inside the building shows a doctor and staff members praying as officers held Alexis at gunpoint.
“Everyone went into the little small room and we had patients in there and the doctor and the therapist were barricading their bodies through the door,” a staff member said.
Even though they admit he had mental problems, Alexis’ family is still struggling to believe what happened.
“He had some mental issues,” said Wilkenson Alexis.
“For him to go inside the building and put the machete on someone’s neck, they have to give me the proof for that. He’s not like that,” added another of Alexis’ relatives.
A representative for the property manager told Local 10 News that she saw the surveillance video of exactly what happened inside and it did happen the way police said it did, in spite of what Alexis’ family said.
That video has been handed over to detectives and is now evidence.
Records show Alexis has had numerous run-ins with the law in Miami-Dade and recently spent 13 months behind bars.