Police Investigate Robbery, Find Dead Body
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Horrified neighbors said they heard shots fired in their West Miami-Dade neighborhood before police were called and a body was discovered inside a home.
"I was really shocked. This is a peaceful neighborhood. I was terrified," said 12-year-old Christopher Ojeda. "I heard gunshots while I was playing on my Xbox. I went outside my home and saw police swarming in. I saw one kid in a red shirt calling the cops."
"It was too loud," said his father Alberto Ojeda. "It was like boom, boom. Like a time bomb. I am scared. I have never seen anything like this in my three years here."
As her grandmother watched, 16-year-old Juliet Marin used her cell phone to take video of the police on the scene outside the home at 10939 N.W. 1st Lane.
"I was very nervous," Marin told CBS4's Peter D'Oench. "This is the first time something like this has happened. SWAT came. We heard a lot of sirens. I was nervous. This was pretty bad. We live here. We are neighbors. We want to know what's going on."
Miami-Dade Police Detective Daniel Ferrin told D'Oench, "There was a 911 call about a possible robbery. Once police arrived they had to make a forced entry. That's when they discovered a deceased person. It was around 10:06 in the morning."
"We hope to know more after getting a search warrant and going in to the home. We always ask for the help from the public and if anyone knows anything they should call police or Crime Stoppers. Right now we are in the process of interviewing witnesses. No, we do not feel the community is in danger," he added.
CBS4's Carey Codd found out from property records that the home is owned by a woman and that the house is for sale.
A realtor directed CBS4 to some photos of the property online, including one that shows a bunch of boxes packed up. The realtor said the owner was planning to move to Asia.
Neighbors said they haven't seen the woman since officers arrived this morning. They are concerned for her well-being.
"This is a quiet neighborhood," said Lazaro Valladares, a next-door neighbor. "We have Sweetwater Police a few blocks down. It's never been a situation like this."
Miami-Dade Police photographed and took away a bicycle on the scene as possible evidence in this case.
Ferrin said police had no information to release about any suspect or suspects and said the victim was not being identified at this point.
Police said no one else was discovered inside the home.
Anyone with information that can help Miami-Dade Police is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
