One man was killed and another was hurt in a shooting early Friday in Little Haiti, and a witness says it all started when they were approached by a stranger asking for a drink.
The shooting happened in the 100 block of NE 77th Street at around 12:52 a.m., Miami police said.
Witness Marlon Fernando Castro Martínez said he and four others were talking when they were approached by a stranger who he believes was as young as 16 or 17 years old.
"He made a sign like he wanted a drink, like beer, but we weren't drinking beer, we were just talking," Castro Martínez said in Spanish. "When we tell him no, he goes crazy and starts chasing us all around the building, going crazy with the gun in his hand."
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Castro Martínez said he and two others took off running, then he watched as the stranger shot his relative, Robin Fernandez, in cold blood.
Ring video captured the men running for their lives, and later yelling for someone to call an ambulance.
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"He fired six shots at him right here," Castro Martínez said. "He died instantly, with all the shots the suspect fired at his head."
The witness said when his brother-in-law tried to get away, he fell and was also shot twice.
Authorities confirmed one of the victims was found dead on the scene.
"We loved him a lot. He was a good person... and we will miss him," Castro Martínez said.
Police said a second victim was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition. They have not provided additional details about the motive of the gunfire.
Authorities are still searching for the suspect, who Castro Martínez insists he had never seen before.
"We all know each other here in the building, and never, never has anything like this ever happened, and we'd never seen that guy," he said. "This happened out of nowhere, and we couldn't do anything about it."
Fernandez's family has started a GoFundMe asking for help repatriating his body to his native El Salvador. According to the page, he worked in construction and leaves behind three children.
Anyone with information on the crime should call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477(TIPS).
