HIALEAH, Fla. – A religious ritual in Hialeah took a deadly turn Wednesday night, ending in a fatal shooting and the arrest of a 48-year-old man, police confirmed in an arrest report Friday.
Recommended Videos
Hialeah police said officers responded to a home around 10:15 p.m. after reports of gunfire, but the location was redacted in the report.
Upon arrival, police said they found a man, identified only as “Nodar” in the report, lying unresponsive outside the front door with blood covering his face.
Medics pronounced him dead at the scene. Inside the home, police said officers found a man and his son injured.
Police said the boy suffered cuts on both arms and was taken to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, while his father had a knife lodged in the side of his head and was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.
Hialeah homicide detectives launched an investigation and learned that the victims had been at the home for a Santeria ritual being performed on Milton Cao.
At some point, investigators said, an argument erupted between Cao, Novar, the boy, and his father. The dispute then spilled outside, where police confirmed that a gunshot rang out.
According to a statement from the boy, police said Novar stumbled back inside the home, bleeding from his leg, and retrieved a knife before heading toward the bathroom.
The confrontation escalated further when Novar stabbed the boy’s father, and the boy was injured while trying to intervene, according to investigators.
Police said at some point, Cao opened fire, shooting Novar multiple times as he attempted to leave the home.
A woman inside the residence at the time told police she witnessed Cao shoot Novar several times and immediately called 911, according to the report.
While in custody at the scene, police said Cao made an unsolicited statement to officers, which was captured on police bodycam video.
Authorities said Cao was taken to the Hialeah Police Department for questioning, where he claimed he did not remember what happened and denied shooting anyone, the report stated.
Jail records show he is facing one count each of second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.
As of Friday, Cao is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Records indicate that he had a prior arrest for cocaine possession.
