A man who was reportedly shooting in the air and at a building in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood was shot and killed by officers Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said officers responded to the area of Southwest 5th Avenue and 3rd Street around 12:45 p.m. after receiving calls of a man who was shooting in the air and toward a building.
There was an encounter with the man and shots were fired by several officers, Morales said.
The suspect, who police believe resided in the area, was shot several times and killed at the scene, Morales said.
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Police identified him Friday as 64-year-old Ramon De Jesus Blanco.
No officers were injured in the shooting.
Morales said investigators are working to determine what led up to the incident.
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"We're still looking for any motive that might have caused his behavior today," Morales said.
Police said they closed Southwest 4th to 6th avenues and Southwest 3rd to 5th streets for the investigation.
Nearby resident Rosa Veres says she was inside her home when she heard several gunshots.
“Pop, pop, pop, pop, six times,” Veres said.
Veres said she immediately closed her door.
“I told my sister, this is not July 4th,” Veres said.
Others who live in the neighborhood said they ran outside when they heard the gunshots.
“This kind of thing never ever happens in this area, this is a very quiet and safe neighborhood,” Nancy Montero said.
Police and detectives were still on the scene late Thursday night, while people in the community try to make sense of what happened in their normally quiet neighborhood.
“Oh my God, very shocking, shocking time,” Montero said. “I'm in shock, really shocking,” Montero said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is taking over the investigation into the incident, which is standard practice in police shootings.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
