What started as an argument inside a Florida City motel room ended with a young man dead and a 21-year-old Homestead resident in handcuffs, according to Miami-Dade authorities.
Deputies say Jeffrey Joseph Dabdoub Jr. was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 11, in connection with a fatal shooting at the Belmont Inn on NE First Avenue on Jan. 26. The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office says the gunfire broke out just after 5:20 p.m., leaving the victim with two gunshot wounds. He later died from his injuries.
Dabdoub, of Miami-Dade's Homestead area, was booked into the county jail on a charge listed as second-degree murder. His bond was recorded as "to be set" at the time of booking, according to deputies and jail records.
What deputies say
Investigators say the conflict began inside the Belmont Inn when Dabdoub and the victim got into an argument. Deputies report that Dabdoub armed himself and ordered the man to leave the room.
When the victim later returned with his mother to retrieve some property, deputies say Dabdoub produced a gun and fired twice, killing the man on scene.
Detectives told WPLG Local 10 that evidence gathered during the investigation did not match up with statements Dabdoub initially gave them, though they have not made those discrepancies public.
Where he's being held
Dabdoub is being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, the Miami-Dade county facility that houses most pretrial detainees.
The Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation Department maintains public information online about its facilities and inmates, including TGK's address, phone numbers for booking, records and visitation, and how family members can check on a person's custody status, according to the county site: Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation Department.
Charges and investigation
Jail records and the arrest report list Dabdoub as facing one count of second-degree murder, with bond marked as "to be set," according to WPLG Local 10.
Authorities have not released any suspected motive for the killing. The Miami-Dade Sheriff's homicide bureau is continuing to investigate, and prosecutors are expected to review the case file before any formal charges are filed in court.
