MIAMI – City of Miami police were involved in a shooting on Thursday near Northwest Seventh Court and 58th Street in Miami and the incident was caught on camera.
According to Officer Kiara Delva, a spokeswoman for the Miami Police Department, police responded to a home near the 5700 block of Northwest Seventh Court after receiving a call about a subject who was possibly high on narcotics causing a disturbance.
Upon arrival, Delva said officers encountered an “aggressive subject,” who was armed with a sharp object, and refused to comply with officers’ commands.
Just before 3 p.m., cellphone video captured the moments when officers were met by three people on a front porch. One man wearing red pants and a white shirt was seen carrying a long object in one hand when he was tased multiple times.
The video shows the man being hit a second time by a taser after charging at officers. Police said he refused to follow their commands and they were forced to shoot.
Residents said they heard the moments the shots were fired.
“All of a sudden I heard, ‘boom, boom, boom, boom,’” said Dan Davidson, who lives nearby. “I heard at least six. One after another.”
The second piece of video obtained by Local 10 News shows officers trying to treat the man, believed to be in his 40s, for his injuries.
“We arrived and were met with this individual who was armed with some sort of a sharp object. This individual failed to communicate with any of our commands. Our officers did make the determination to deploy the taser, with no effect whatsoever. The individual still had the sharp object in their hand when our officers did make the determination to fire for their safety and for everyone’s safety,” said Miami Police Capt. Freddie Cruz.
Neighbors and the man’s family are now questioning the officer’s decision to open fire.
According to Miami Fire Rescue, the man was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where he remains in serious condition as of Thursday night.
Miami police asked drivers to avoid the area of Northwest Seventh Court and 58th Street during their investigation.
Local 10 News reporter Cody Weddle heard from the man’s family Thursday night, who said they want a full investigation to be conducted and called the incident an “overreaction.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the police-involved shooting as part of standard protocol.