MIRAMAR, Fla. – A man shot and killed the mother of their three children in a Miramar neighborhood and was taken into custody after fleeing the scene, police said.
Derrick Feliciano Bargman-Williams, 28, is facing murder charges in the death of 25-year-old Jessica Frankel Singleton, according to an arrest report.
Miramar Fire Rescue responded to De Soto Drive and Normandy Street around 8:30 a.m., according to investigators.
When law enforcement arrived at the scene, police said they found Singleton in a car suffering from a gunshot wound. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her injuries, according to police.
Authorities said there were two children under the age of 5 with Singleton at the time of the shooting but neither were injured.
Police said Bargman-Williams and Singleton had been arguing throughout the night and into the morning. The argument turned physical inside the home and carried over to the outside of the residence, the report stated.
Moments after police responded to the shooting, one of the woman’s two children said, “Daddy did it to mommy, and mommy is dead,” according to the report.
Police confirmed Bargman-Williams was found hiding in some bushes in the neighborhood was taken into custody. That man is the father of at least one of the children, authorities said.
“We had a very dangerous person in the community and the K-9 was able to locate him and help us bring him into custody,” said Tania Rues, a spokesperson with the Miramar Police Department.
Police said Ring camera video showed a man believed to be Bargman-Williams running away, with a boy chasing after him, yelling, “Daddy, daddy, daddy.”
Neighbors in the area told Local 10 News that they were startled by the gunfire and woke up to a heavy police presence in the area.
“Multiple shots and then I looked through the windows and saw the police cars,” said one woman who lives nearby.
“I can see the police walking around with weapons,” said neighbor Patricia Caceres.
“Kids now don’t have a father; they don’t have a mother and it hurts more,” said Maria Mendoza, who lives nearby.
Police called in K-9 units, which located Feliciano Bargman-Williams, detectives said.
“He had fled on foot, and he was found several blocks away hiding in bushes,” said Rues.
Bargman-Williams was transported to the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail and is being held without bond following the incident.
According to jail records, he is facing a second-degree murder charge without premeditation.
The Florida Department of Children and Families was at the scene and will determine where the children will be placed.
Miramar police officers arrived at the home Thursday to drop off toys to the children and bring some light to a dark situation.
They said the presents were the least they could do given the heaviness of this tragedy during the holidays.
“The fact that the family got a moment of respite to concentrate on the toys with the kids is probably the best gift I could ask for Christmas,” said Miramar Police Chief Delrish L. Moss.
Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call the Miramar Police Department at 954-602-2100 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.