A man was arrested after he left the scene of a crash and trespassed onto someone’s northwest Miami-Dade property, where the homeowner shot him, police said.
The homeowner told police that he awoke Sunday morning to find a man in his backyard. After asking that man to show his hands and leave, in fear, the homeowner shot the trespasser two times.
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WATCH HERE“It’s the first time in 30 years, and thankfully it wasn’t robbing, it was him escaping from something he did before," said the homeowner, who did not want to show his face on camera.
Arrest documents show that the homeowner heard his dog barking, looked out his window and saw his ladder had been moved to lean against a tall wall in his backyard that butts against I-75.
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The homeowner grabbed his gun, went to the second-story balcony and found the man, later identified as 34-year-old Whitney Liberal, on the floor.
In fear for his family and his life, the homeowner shot Liberal twice, police said. Neighbors told NBC6 they heard the gunshots that morning.
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“I hear a woman screaming, like, no, no, no," one neighbor said.
Liberal was taken to Ryder Trauma Center, where, according to arrest documents, he told police he and two others left a crash scene where his vehicle rolled over.
He told police his foot broke in the accident and the two others left him behind. He came to a home off NW 91st Court, calling his girlfriend to pick him up.
Arrest documents also showed that Liberal admitted to crawling on the floor when he was shot by the scared homeowner. He also admitted to having cash, marijuana and pills in his possession.
Liberal is being charged with possessing a controlled substance, possessing cannabis, and trespassing.
As for the homeowner, the family says they’ve been anxious and fearful, just wanting to put this behind them.
