FDLE investigates fatal police-involved shooting in SW Miami-Dade

MIAMI – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating a fatal police-involved shooting involving two Miami-Dade police detectives.

On Wednesday evening, MDPD Public Information Officer Alvaro Zabaleta held a press conference to update the media on the shooting. He said one of the detectives discharged his weapon Wednesday afternoon resulting in the death of a subject at the scene. 

It all started with the reported theft of a vehicle, according to Zabaleta, Wednesday afternoon at around 3:15 p.m. in the area of SW 182nd Avenue and 192nd Street., which is about five blocks away from Krome Avenue.

“The owner of the stolen vehicle stated he had a confrontation with two males in a black vehicle and they became aggressive with him and that is when he called the police,” said Zabaleta.

“While police were canvassing the area, they saw a black vehicle that matched the description with the subjects inside and they activated their emergency equipment and as the officer approached the vehicle, the subject inside the vehicle produced a firearm and that is when shots were fired. The subject was struck. He was pronounced deceased on the scene.”

“None of the officers were injured during the incident.”

“We did receive confirmation that the two detectives involved are s 24-year veteran and the other one is a 25-year veteran, both assigned to the Illegal Dumping Unit.”

“At least one detective discharged his weapon,” Zabaleta added.

Zabaleta did not identify the detectives involved in the shooting or the dead man. 

Earlier in the afternoon, Chopper 4 images showed a large police response with at least a dozen police vehicles in the area enveloped by farms and nurseries. 

One person was seen being led in handcuffs into a Miami-Dade police cruiser. 

Images also showed a body covered by a yellow tarp and police tape cordoning off the area.

About a dozen Miami-Dade police officers could also be seen wearing helmets and carrying long guns in the area.  

“Anytime a police officer gets involved in a shooting, it’s it’s it’s a dangerous situation. It’s a situation where perhaps that officer may not come back because the officer has to react in fractions of a second. And just by looking at that windshield (vehicle with bullet impacts), you know, it’s an eye-opener, it’s hair-raising the fact that knowing that we have one last life, but when you see that you understand, or it gives you a great understanding of the dangers that the officers face every single day. And that when we say the officers in the mornings, or afternoons or midnight when they leave their homes and they kiss their loved ones to go to work, that it may be their last goodbyes,” said Zabaleta.