MIAMI – The wife of a man killed in a shootout with police expressed her shock over his death.
Police killed 27-year-old Adrian Montesano and 50-year-old Corsini Valdes early Tuesday morning.
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"I don't think he would be capable of hurting anybody, especially a police officer," said Valdes' wife, Elsa Innamorato.
Court records show Valdes had arrests dating back two decades, including ones for grand theft, armed robbery and more than two dozen drug-related possession charges.
Innamorato said that though they had been estranged for a month, he always tried being a good father to her son.
"He loves to do homework with them and everything. I would work and he would be the one -- we lived a very regular life," she said.
Meantime, the family of Montesano released a statement Wednesday, saying: "While we understand the need for the media's coverage of this tragic event to satisfy the public's curiosity, we have been as shocked by the recent events as the community at large. Our hearts and prayers go out to the officers who were injured in this incident and hope for their speedy recovery as well as for their forgiveness of our son.
Adrian was a loving son, brother and friend, and part of a strong supportive family. The man portrayed by his alleged actions in yesterday's shocking news reports was not the same boy we raised in a loving and caring environment. He had been working hard to overcome his personal issues for the past three and a half years in recovery. Adrian was a hard-working, responsible young man who had a promising future in the construction industry where he had displayed talent.
In light of this tragedy, we respectfully request a dialogue to ascertain whether these types of situations can be handled with some additional restraint in the future. We have to figure out a way to prevent the violence in our community from escalating and ask that our community leaders work to heal our city and come together with those that work so hard to try to keep the peace while risking their own lives every day.
Finally, we ask the community to continue to support proper law enforcement activities, even in the face of the tragedy and loss that we have succumbed to."
Before the shootout with police, Montesano tried robbing a Walgreens at 2700 W. Flagler Street, say police. He held a cashier hostage and shot at a security guard before driving away.
Police say Montesano later shot Miami-Dade police officer Saul Rodriguez in the stomach, then stole his patrol car and drove off, eventually ditching the car in Hialeah. Montesano then got into another car with Valdes.
During the shootout, Miami-Dade police officers David Williams and Jimmy Harrell were shot in their arms. They and three other officers who suffered injuries have all been treated and released.
Rodriguez remained in stable condition on Wednesday after undergoing surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital.