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Gunfire Leaves Little Havana Man In Critical Condition

MIAMI(CBS4) - A 41-year-old father from Little Havana is in critical condition after a gunman broke into the apartment he was in and shot him in the chest.

Miami Police said they are stumped by this crime, and neighbors of the victim say they are stunned and worried following thet attack inside an apartment building on Tuesday morning.

"It's scary," said Xenia Lopez, who lives next to the apartment building where the shooting here in the 500 block of Northwest 23rd Court. "You know there are a lot of people passing by here. And now you don't know if you are secure here."

It happened inside apartment number five in that building.

Police identified the victim as 41-year-old Geraldo Quesada. After he was shot, police say he stumbled out to the hallway. Bleeding profusely from his wound, he collapsed at the end of the hallway and was transported to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

CBS4's Peter D'Oench spoke with residents inside the apartment building. Elizabeth Perez, a mother of four, told CBS4 she was worried about her family.

"It concerns me," she said. "I have kids. One of my kids could have been outside our apartment and seen this. It concerns me because this has always been a quiet neighborhood and nothing like this has happened here before."

"I have 7 children and I am very concerned," said Carmen Rodriguez, who lives near Quesada. "I have daughters and I am worried about them and I am worried that if I go out I might get shot too."

"It's a chaotic little puzzle," said Miami Police Sgt. Freddie Perez. "It appears to be a home invasion robbery. It could be something else. The victim was a little uncooperative according to some neighbors. We're asking that anyone with any information please come forward and help us out."

Neighbors hope that the gunman will be captured soon.

"If not, he might come back for me," said Perez.

"It would mean a lot to me," said Rodriguez. "It would make everyone here happy. It could have been anyone else who was shot."

"I want to be safe," said Lopez. "I want to know who did it and that he goes to jail."

Quesada's ex girlfriend, Cristina Buanco, who is also the mother of two of his five children, told D'Oench, "He's a great provider. He's a great father. He didn't deserve what happened to him. We just want to find the person who did this and we hope he (Quesada) is going to be ok. We just want him to come home to his children. We feel terrible about what happened."
D'Oench asked Buanco if she knew what prompted the shooting.
"We don't know what happened," she said.

Quesada has no criminal history that CBS4 has been told about. His ex-wife said she was too upset to speak about the shooting. She and other family members are with Quesada at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Police have a limited description of the suspect.

They say he is a latin male in his mid 20s, about five foot eight inches tall and was last seen wearing a black shirt and jeans.

If you can help Miami Police, call them or Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at (305) 471—TIPS (8477).

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