Homestead, FL was the setting of a tense confrontation last night, resulting in a teen being shot by a Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputy. According to NBC Miami, the incident began with an armed carjacking involving three men near Southwest 279th Street and Southwest 127th Avenue.
The suspects were tracked to a neighborhood roughly eight miles from the scene, where they abandoned the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot. Deputies pursued, and during the chaotic ensue, one deputy discharged their weapon. One of the men, allegedly armed with an assault rifle, was hit and later transported to the hospital in stable condition. "Two other subjects were subsequently taken into custody," added the official statement from the sheriff's office, as reported by NBC Miami.
Further details reported by WSVN revealed the armed subjects were in fact teenagers. Surveillance footage captured dialogue moments before the shooting, with a deputy heard instructing the teens to drop their guns. One MDSO investigator detailed that the deputy was "forced to discharge their weapon," striking the teenager in the arm.
An eyewitness, Virginia Trejo, recounted the ordeal saying, "There was a bunch of, like, sirens, like, all around the perimeter of the houses, and then I hear like, no, and then I see, like, all the cops running around, just like in a panic." She told WSVN. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has now taken over the investigation, and the identities of those involved and any potential charges have not yet been made public.
Officials confirmed that no members of the community or deputies were injured outside of the shooting incident. Two firearms were recovered at the scene, as the investigation into the circumstances continues to unfold.
