Man arrested after wife found shot inside vehicle in Opa-locka

Police: Couple had been married for over 20 years, have 2 adult children in common

OPA-LOCKA, Fla. – A man has been arrested after his wife was found shot on Halloween night inside a vehicle, authorities confirmed Friday.

According to Miami-Dade police Detective Angel Rodriguez, officers from the Opa-locka Police Department responded to reports about an unresponsive female inside a vehicle in the 4000 block of Northwest 135th Street just after 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

He said the woman had been shot at least once and was transported by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Rodriguez confirmed that responding officers detained a man for questioning.

That man was later identified as the victim’s husband -- 45-year-old Axell Ruben Picado, of Miami, who has since been arrested.

Axell Ruben Picado. (Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation)

Police said Picado and the victim have been married for over 20 years and have two adult children in common.

According to his arrest report, Picado had been drinking alcoholic beverages at Paloma Café before going outside to return to his vehicle.

Police said that’s when he was approached by his wife, who had arrived in her own car.

According to the report, the couple got into an argument, which escalated into Picado pulling out a gun from his waistband and shooting his wife as she was sitting in the driver’s seat of her car.

The report did not specify what the initial argument had been about.

“I mean, I’ve seen accidents, people get into little bar fights because they’re drunk, but a death? Never,” Christina Cabrera, who was in the area at the time, said.

The couple’s two BMWs were towed away from the scene after shooting.

People who live nearby said police are often called to the area for drunken brawls, but this scene is a particularly disturbing one.

“It’s sad,” Cabrera said. “It’s sad to see that you have to go out to drink and end up the night with someone dead, someone in jail. It’s just -- it’s stupid. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

The MDPD’s Homicide Bureau has assumed the investigation.

Picado faces a charge of second-degree murder.

As of Friday afternoon, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond.

Leer en español


About the Authors
Amanda Batchelor headshot

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

Saira Anwer headshot

Saira Anwer joined the Local 10 News team in July 2018. Saira is two-time Emmy-nominated reporter and comes to South Florida from Madison, Wisconsin, where she was working as a reporter and anchor.

Loading...

Recommended Videos