84-year-old veteran killed in police-involved shooting

Officers say man was threatening to kill himself

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating an officer-involved shooting Monday in southwest Miami-Dade County that left an 84-year-old military veteran dead.

Detective Argemis Colome, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department, said four officers were called to a report of an armed man who was threatening to kill himself about 1 p.m. near Southwest 138th Avenue and Southwest 270th Street.

A confrontation ensued and one officer was forced to shoot the man, Colome said.

The veteran, who was not identified by police, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The view from Sky 10 showed yellow police markers on the ground outside building 12 of the Hidden Grove Apartments.

A man who lives nearby told Local 10 News that he heard a commotion and came outside.

"Well, I heard about three shots. Bam, bam, bam. It sounded like gunshots, but I don't know. But then, I saw a whole lot of police," the man said. 

Residents of the community said they were shocked that something like this would happen so close to them.

"It's crazy because it's very quiet over here, and my friend was just here yesterday and she told me the same thing -- 'Oh, it's so peaceful and quiet over here,' and I'm like, 'I know,' and then all of a sudden this happened," Kelsey Fain said. "And, like, nobody knows what's going on so it's just -- it's really weird."

The identities of the officer involved in the shooting have not been released. However, police said one the officers has been with the department for 23 years. The other officer involved have been on the force for 10 months, police said.


About the Authors:

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.