Investigators ID Officers In Deadly Police-Involved Shooting
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PERRINE (CBSMiami) -- Miami-Dade Police have released the names of two police officers involved in a deadly police-involved shooting in Perrine.
Officer Andrew Garcia and Officer Jesus Coto have been employed with Miami-Dade Police for over eight years.
Investigators say the two-man unit was patrolling the area on December 30th when they saw a black Nissan Altima driving erratically through the area.
Officers say they tried to stop the vehicle at 10101 W Indigo Street when the passenger of the car got out and ran off. One of the officers ran after that person.
At some point, they encountered the driver, 21-year-old Jamar Rollins. Police said he was armed with a gun prompting them to open fire. Rollins was killed.
The passenger of the vehicle got away and remains at large. Neither of the officers were injured.
The incident prompted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to investigate the matter as the community grows more concerned over what happened.
On Tuesday night, local leaders held a hearing for residents to ask questions about the incident since witnesses are telling a different story. They said Rollins, father of a year old son and avid dirt biker, was shot multiple times by police while he stood outside his car with his hands up.
"Seven shots. That's overkill, even if he did have a gun. That's overkill. We never seen a gun come out," said a witness who did not want to be identified. "He had his hands up and out the window as the officer was asking him to get out of the car, whatever he was asking him, he already had his hands up surrendering out the window. As he got out the car and he was standing getting right, never went towards the officer from what I seen, was standing there, the officer said something to him. He responded to the officer just as the officer is talking to him next thing you know shots rang out. "
Miami-Dade Police say they found a stolen gun on Rollins and more guns were found near the scene but people who knew him say they don't believe it.
At Tuesday night's meeting, his mother set the tone.
"'Signed mortician,' picked the body up and confirm two shots to the leg, two shots to arm, the broken other arm and then a shot to the chest," she said. "That's my question, why so many shots?"
Police say they are trying to find out the whereabouts of Devin "Rug Head" Smith. The have named him as a person of interest and want to question him.
Security video down the street from the incident shows someone running following the traffic stop. Witnesses confirm it was the passenger who they say is Smith.
