Man shot, killed in alley behind Miami Beach karaoke bar

Victim had recently moved to Florida from Texas, officials say

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A 29-year-old man was shot and killed Thursday outside a Miami Beach karaoke bar, officials said.

Melissa Berthier, a spokeswoman for the city of Miami Beach, said that just before midnight a gunman got out of the passenger side of a white car and fired on Kamil Patel.

Berthier said the victim had recently moved to Miami Beach from Texas. Patel and his girlfriend were walking in an alley behind the Kill Your Idol karaoke bar in the 200 block of Espanola Way after having drinks at a nearby bar, Bertheir said. Police said the woman was not hurt.

Patel was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where he later died.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Patel worked for high-end retail stores, most recently with Prada at the Bal Harbour Shops.

"When it happens so close to where we live, and it's extremely close to where we were -- that's shocking," Daniel Wessner, who was nearby when the shooting happened, said. 

Berthier said the gunman was wearing a hoodie and took off in a white sedan with a temporary tag. The tag number may be CC34319.

"The description of the shooter is a thin black male with medium-length dreadlocks, wearing a dark hoodie," she said.

Detectives blocked off the area for hours as they investigated the scene in the alley.

"We were at Senor Frogs during that time, and when we exited, it was all closed off and there was police cars all over," Wessner said.  

The Miami Beach Police Department is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the shooting.

Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.