Multiple suspects were arrested after a shooting inside a Walmart in Florida City Wednesday afternoon left one man dead and another injured, and caused panic that left multiple people hurt as they ran from the gunfire, officials said.
Miami-Dade Police confirmed two men were shot at the Walmart at 33501 S. Dixie Highway just before 3 p.m.
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A 23-year-old man, later identified as Nathaniel Baez, died from his injuries while another man was expected to survive, police said.
Cellphone video showed people trying to assist one victim who was laying on the store's floor moments after the shooting.
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Witnesses said they heard as many as six gunshots before people in the store started running.
"I heard six shots, pow-pow-pow, and then everybody was running away," said one man who was in the store.
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"It was just a madhouse in there. Everybody just started running out all the exits. Everybody just scattered," shopper Daniel Singleton said.
Police said the incident started with an altercation between two groups with three people on each side. During the altercation, one person pulled out a gun and opened fire.
Baez, who was involved in the altercation, was shot and later died, police said. The second person injured by the gunfire was an innocent bystander who was struck by a stray bullet, police said.
Miami-Dade Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said two young children were inside the store and were among several customers and workers who were near where the gunfire happened.
"This store was open, it happened in the front part of the store where there's a lot of customers," Zabaleta said. "It's unfortunate that a customer who was not involved in this incident was struck, this could have been much more tragic."
Zabaleta said officers arrived and took one of the six people involved in the altercation into custody. He said four others involved fled the scene.
Footage from the scene showed a massive police presence, with multiple officers with guns drawn surrounding the store. The footage also showed a man in handcuffs being placed in the back of a Florida City Police car.
Several Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews and vehicles were also seen outside the store. Zabaleta said five people who suffered minor cuts and scrapes while running from the gunfire were treated outside the store and released.
A woman who suffered a head injury while running away also showed up at a local hospital for treatment, Zabaleta said.
"This could have been that much more tragic because there were children that had to be evacuated out there, young teenagers that they could have been struck, and we could have been here in sorrow as a community," Zabaleta said.
Three men were later arrested in connection with the shooting, including the alleged gunman, according to an arrest report.
Steve Lestin, 25, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and attempted felony murder, Miami-Dade jail records showed. Roberto Dionandre Acevedo, 20, and Jimari Castin Hodge, 21, were arrested and charged with battery.
Zabaleta said police are still investigating and reviewing surveillance footage, but said police need the public's help.
"It's so important that anybody who saw something, heard something, no matter how small you think this information is, let us know," he said.
"We are deeply saddened by what took place in our Florida City store, and our thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones. The store is closed at this time," a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday. "We will work closely with local law enforcement through the course of their investigation and will refer further questions to police."
Check back with NBC6 for updates.
