MIAMI, FL - November 30, 2020 - According to an online news article posted on local10.com, on Monday, a 19-year-old man was arrested in the 2018 fatal shooting of a Miami-Dade librarian in Miami Gardens, Florida. The murder occurred at approximately 9 p.m. on December 10, 2018, at the intersection of Northwest 207th Street and Northwest Second Avenue. According to Miami Gardens Police, the 47-year-old victim was discovered in his car that was stopped at an intersection traffic light. The man was found unresponsive in his motor vehicle.
According to the Miami Gardens Police, the victim had been shot inside his car. The victim was pronounced dead at the crime scene by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Law enforcement investigators stated that the victim had just left a Dade County Federal Credit Union. The victim had just taken money out of an ATM. The victim was then approached by the suspect, who stepped out of a different vehicle and then shot the victim.
The Miami Gardens Police stated that the suspect's car was a white Kia Optima. The police obtained surveillance video footage, which showed the shooter. The shooter was wearing a black hoodie and black pants. This same man was also spotted on a surveillance video that recorded the area around the bank.
The suspect appeared in his virtual bond court hearing before a Miami-Dade County judge. The criminal case has been moved to juvenile court due to the suspect being under 18 at the time of the shooting. State prosecutors may file a motion to move the criminal case to adult court.
According to the suspect's arrest warrant, the Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers took an anonymous tip on April 19, 2019. The tip stated that the suspect was showing off a video of the shooting that was aired on local news outlets.
The tipster also maintained that there were three more people inside the white Kia Optima, which was used during the shooting, and that the occupants inside the motor vehicle gave the suspect a gun and ordered the suspect to rob the victim.
According to the arrest warrant, law enforcement detectives successfully matched the suspect's fingerprints to fingerprints found on the victim's car. Cellphone records revealed that the suspect's cellphone was pinged close to the site of the shooting. The phone records showed the suspect was in the area nearly 9 minutes after Miami Gardens police were contacted.
Police obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect. The suspect was arrested and was charged with attempted armed robbery and second-degree murder.
The victim had been an employee of the Miami-Dade Public Library System for over 21 years.