3 in custody after police-involved shooting in Miami Gardens

Hit-and-run crash leads to shootout, police say

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Three people were taken into custody Thursday after a hit-and-run crash that led to an officer-involved shooting in Miami Gardens, Miami-Dade police said. 

The suspects were identified as Christopher Goa, 23, Wently Phenelon, 25, and Demetrius Walker, 26.

Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez said officers were trying to arrest another person who was wanted for an unrelated attempted murder when they witnessed a hit-and-run crash along Northwest 32nd Avenue and 175th Street. 

The officers tried to stop the car when Goa and another man exited the vehicle while shooting, causing two plainclothes officers to open fire, Perez said. 

Christopher Goa (left), Wently Phenelon (middle) and Demetrius Walker (right) were arrested March 9 in connection with a police-involved shooting in Miami Gardens.

Goa was shot. Perez said someone inside the car jumped in the driver's seat and sped away.

Officers followed the car to a gas station along Northwest 27th Avenue and 169th Terrace, where Phenelon and Walker tried to escape, but they were caught and taken into custody, police said.

Goa was taken to Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, but there was no immediate word on his condition.

The officers were not injured, but their unmarked car was significantly damaged by the gunfire. 

Both detectives involved in the shooting are 9-year veterans of the Miami-Dade Police Department.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting. 


About the Authors:

Sanela Sabovic joined Local 10 News in September 2012 as an assignment editor and associate producer. In August 2015, she became a full-time reporter and fill-in traffic reporter. Sanela holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a concentration in radio, television and film from DePaul University.