2 teens arrested in fatal shooting of high school student at Halloween party

Josue Cao, Matthew Hernandez face murder charges in death of Angel Cueli

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Police have arrested two teenagers in connection with the fatal shooting of a high school student at a Halloween party in southwest Miami-Dade County.

Josue Cao and Matthew Hernandez were taken into custody Tuesday, three days after Angel Cueli was shot Saturday night as he stood alongside other guests outside a house on Southwest 132nd Avenue.

Cao, 17, and Hernandez, 18, were arrested on charges of second-degree murder.

According to Miami-Dade police affidavits, Cao and Hernandez opened fire at rival gang members who were attending the party. Cueli, who police don't believe was specifically targeted, was fatally wounded during the shooting.

Police said Cao admitted to tampering with his home detention electronic monitoring device so he could attend the party. Police said Cao and Hernandez admitted to participating in the shooting.

Jose Cao, 17, and Matthew Hernandez, 18, face charges of second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Angel Cueli, a 15-year-old boy who was attending a Halloween house party.

Cao was on probation for a 2017 domestic battery incident at his home when he was 15. 

Cueli, a 15-year-old student at Miami Coral Park Senior High School, was taken to Kendall Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Family and loved ones gathered Monday night for a vigil mass at St. Brendan's Catholic Church to remember Cueli. 

His grandfather expressed gratitude for the support from Cueli's friends, many leaving flowers outside the family's home.

Despite the arrests, Frank Cueli said the family is still hurting.

"We don't have Angel," he said.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help the family pay for funeral expenses.


About the Authors:

Trent Kelly is an award-winning multimedia journalist who joined the Local 10 News team in June 2018. Trent is no stranger to Florida. Born in Tampa, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he graduated with honors from the UF College of Journalism and Communications.