The family of an employee who was shot at a Miami apartment complex by a suspect who also set the building on fire said they're relying on their faith as they hope he pulls through.
NBC6 spoke exclusively with the godfather of Feder Biotte, the employee of the Temple Court apartments who was shot Monday morning and left in critical condition.
The godfather said Biotte, 30, is a maintenance technician at the apartment building.
The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.
Authorities believe the same suspect shot the worker and intentionally set the building on fire, leading to a massive fire rescue response that lasted throughout the day.
Reynold Romeus, Biotte’s godfather and cousin, said that when he learned about the apartments on fire downtown, he immediately called Biotte, who didn’t pick up. Romeus later learned Biotte was shot.
Local
He said doctors removed a bullet from Biotte’s stomach, but he was not responsive. Now, the family is praying for a miracle.
“I hope God make him recover faster then people expect because I know he's a very nice man, a hard worker, I don't think he's the one who's supposed to get hit like that," Romeus said.
The family describes Biotte as a hard worker who came to the U.S. from Haiti in 2021. He went to school in the U.S. and studied building maintenance.
He has a 9-year-old son who still lives in Haiti.
"He loved his family. He’s a very good man. That’s all I can say. He never got in trouble with nobody. I really don't know how come somebody shoot him like that," said Romeus.
Biotte remained at Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center Monday night.
Officials said a suspect was in custody but haven't released that person's identity or given any other information on what led to the shooting and fire.
The fire was extinguished after crews spent some eight hours battling the blaze.
