A Hialeah party turned violent when a 42-year-old man grabbed a ceramic vase and struck another man in the head, setting off a struggle over a gun that left the attacker shot in the face. Police say the man he hit will not be charged, while the vase-wielding attacker now faces a felony count.
Officers Respond to Reports of Gunfire
According to NBC 6 South Florida, officers arrived at a home around 11:46 p.m. Thursday after reports of an altercation involving a gun discharge. That timing conflicts with a separate account from WPLG Local 10, which described the gathering as turning violent late Friday night. Police identified the man accused of starting the fight as 42-year-old Jonatan De Jesus Dzul Aguilar, per the NBC 6 report.
Investigators said Aguilar grabbed a ceramic vase and struck the other man in the head during the confrontation, the station's report states. A gun legally carried by that man was exposed in the struggle that followed, and police said it discharged and struck Aguilar in the face.
Both Men Hospitalized, Only One Faces Charges
Per the same account, Aguilar suffered a non-life-threatening facial injury and was airlifted to a hospital, while the other man was also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Police determined that the man who drew the gun acted in self-defense and will not face any charges, the article notes. Aguilar, meanwhile, was charged with one count of aggravated battery.
A separate account of the same incident, published by USA Carry, described the confrontation as beginning when the 42-year-old man harassed a woman at the party and another man stepped in on her behalf, prompting the vase attack and the ensuing struggle over the firearm.
What Florida's Self-Defense Law Says
Florida law allows the use of deadly force when a person reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to themselves or another, or to stop the imminent commission of a forcible felony, according to the Florida Legislature. The statute also states that a person who meets those conditions has no duty to retreat if they are not engaged in criminal activity and are somewhere they have a right to be, and it provides immunity from criminal prosecution and civil action for force used under those circumstances.
No primary police report, arrest affidavit or court record has been made public to independently verify the full account, and the ultimate outcome of the case against Aguilar has not been confirmed.
