Police: 2 in custody, 2 hospitalized after shooting at Aventura Mall

Argument between four people that knew each other escalated Friday morning, investigators say

AVENTURA, Fla. – A crew in hazmat suits cleaned up blood from inside the Nordstrom store at Aventura Mall six hours after a Friday morning shooting left two people wounded. Meanwhile, detectives are combing surveillance video and any other close-circuit cameras that may have caught what happened just after 11 a.m. inside the store.

The call came in at about 11:20 a.m. Friday. Two people were shot inside the store on the first floor near the men’s department after an apparent argument between a group of four people that knew each other.

Aventura police have two people in custody. Of the two in custody, Local 10 learned that only one of them was the shooter. At this point, it is not known what they were arguing about or why the shooting started.

Sky 10 was above the scene as two ambulances rushed the victims to nearby Aventura Medical Center.

One of the victims is in critical condition after undergoing surgery and the other is stable condition, Local 10 learned.

“Our thoughts are with them and their families,” a statement from a Nordstrom representative said. “No other customers or employees were injured.”

Sky 10 shows a police vehicle parked outside the Nordstrom store at Aventura Mall. (WPLG)

Investigators are still sorting out details, but Aventura Police sergeant Hans Maestre said that Aventura police officers immediately chased the shooting suspect, apprehended him and secured the scene. It is unclear when the other suspect was taken into custody.

A SWAT team, Miami-Dade police’s Priority Response Team, were geared up with long guns searching the nearby parking garage for any other suspects, but that ended quickly when it was determined the shooting was an isolated incident.

“At no time was the general public in danger," Maestre said. It was not a random shooting inside the mall. “We really don’t know what the motive of the confrontation was at this time.”

Aventura Police posted on its Twitter account that "this was an argument between four individuals and not related to anything else.”

They also stated that the incident “was quickly addressed by Nordstrom security, Aventura Mall security and officers assigned to the mall, leading to a quick arrest.”

A car parked on the other side of the mall was seen being towed away as part of the investigation.

As of Friday evening, there had been no formal charges made.

The store had just opened at 11 a.m. and there not many shoppers were inside. Maestre noted: “The current (coronavirus) crisis may have helped us. There weren’t many people present at the time of the incident."


About the Authors:

Janine Stanwood joined Local 10 News in February 2004 as an assignment editor. She is now a general assignment reporter. Before moving to South Florida from her Washington home, Janine was the senior legislative correspondent for a United States senator on Capitol Hill.

Jeff Weinsier joined Local 10 News in September 1994. He is currently an investigative reporter for Local 10. He is also responsible for the very popular Dirty Dining segments.