Instagram post at gun range in Doral helps detective to arrest suspect

Detectives arrest 22-year-old man on weapons charge

An Instagram post, left, and surveillance video, right, helped Miami-Dade detectives arrest Melvyn Dario Prado. (MDPD)

DORAL, Fla. – A 22-year-old man with a criminal record wasn’t allowed to hold firearms when he went to a gun range, recorded himself firing one, and shared it on Instagram, according to police.

Melvyn Prado’s post on June 4 as “Melly3Real” was enough for a Miami-Dade detective to set out to find surveillance video at the Warrior Gun Range & Shop in Doral, according to an arrest warrant in the case.

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Detectives arrested Melvyn Dario Prado on Sunday in Miami-Dade County. (MDCR)

Surveillance video showed Prado buying two boxes of live ammunition at the gun range shop at 2105 NW 102 Pl., according to the arrest warrant issued on July 3.

Miami-Dade police officers arrested Prado on Sunday, and he remained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Monday afternoon.

Prado’s criminal record as a minor includes burglaries and grand thefts from 2017 to 2019. On Monday, he was facing a charge of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

Detectives were asking anyone with information about the case to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.


About the Author

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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