MIAMI — Miami police say facial recognition software helped detectives identify the suspect in a shooting outside of a restaurant in the city’s Allapattah neighborhood on Sunday. He surrendered to police on Tuesday.
Investigators said Francisco Alexis de Leon, 36, of Miramar, got into an argument with the victim at Republica Food & Lounge, located at 1260 NW 36th St., and was asked to leave the restaurant.
An arrest report states that surveillance video showed de Leon getting out of the passenger’s side of a Toyota Highlander.
“(De Leon) then ran towards the victim, aimed a black handgun at him and shoots, striking the victim,” the report states. “(He) re-racked the firearm and attempted to shoot again; however, the gun malfunctioned, and the defendant ran back to the white Toyota and fled.”
Witnesses took the wounded victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital. According to the report, he told police that he knew the shooter as “Alexis” but said he didn’t know why he would “want to shoot him” and said he had “never interacted with (him) in any way.”
Police said a facial recognition search identified de Leon as the shooter and police determined that he owned a Toyota Highlander. They said the victim later picked de Leon out of a photo lineup.
De Leon, along with an attorney, went to the Miami Police Department on Tuesday to self-surrender on charges of attempted murder, shooting or throwing a deadly missile, using a firearm in the commission of a felony, unlawful discharge of a firearm and improper exhibition of a firearm.
Police said he declined to speak with detectives.
Jail records show de Leon, a Dominican national, was being held without bond as of Wednesday morning.
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