A registered sex offender was arrested Wednesday after deputies say he shot a man in the leg in Gladeview, hours after a verbal dispute outside a northwest Miami-Dade restaurant. The victim was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, and investigators said the exchange of gunfire triggered a criminal probe in the neighborhood.
According to investigators, the initial argument started Tuesday morning outside Mazie’s Soul Food in Gladeview. The situation allegedly escalated when the suspect showed up at the victim’s home around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday in the 7300 block of Northwest 20th Court and opened fire, hitting the man three times in the leg. Deputies said the victim returned fire, and medics transported him to Jackson Memorial for treatment. Detectives recovered 11 shell casings at the scene, and authorities are continuing to investigate, as reported by Local 10.
Arrest and evidence
Deputies later spotted 46-year-old Eugene Janode Witherspoon walking on Northwest 22nd Avenue, wearing the same sneakers seen in surveillance footage. Investigators say he admitted to shooting the victim and disposing of the gun. "He doesn't know Witherspoon, but has seen him in the neighborhood 'multiple times,'" the victim told detectives, according to Local 10.
Deputies arrested Witherspoon on charges of attempted first-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm. He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was listed as "to be set," according to booking information.
Past conviction and registry
A records check cited in the arrest report shows Witherspoon is a registered sex offender. Public listings connect him to a 1999 conviction for lewd and lascivious battery on a child under 16. That status appears in public offender databases that aggregate state registry information, including entries visible on OffenderRadar.
Witherspoon remains in custody as detectives work to locate the discarded firearm and finalize charges. Prosecutors are expected to review the arrest report and evidence before deciding on formal filings and court dates.
