Rookie Cop Saves Woman From Stabbing, Shoots Suspect
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A rookie cop with Miami Police was forced to fire when he came upon a woman being stabbed by a man.
"This officer was a hero," said Miami Fraternal Order of Police Pres. Javier Ortiz. "If he didn't take the action he did, the woman would have died."
Police said the woman, Yurien Rodriguez-Perez, 27, is in good condition after being cut.
Although off-duty, the officer was in uniform and on his way home from work when the call came in about a woman screaming. He just happened to be near the area, at N.W. 64th Avenue and 159th Street, next to Miami Lakes Middle School.
"We did receive a call about a female in distress and it was very fortunate an officer was around," said Miami-Dade Police Det. Argemis Colome.
Police said the officer was forced to fire his weapon during the altercation between Rodriguez-Perez and the man attacking her.
"I heard seven shots and I heard a guy was holding a lady's neck and cut her face, and police asked to let her go," said a neighbor.
Rodriguez-Perez had to be rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center.
"He did everything possible to save this woman. He was in the right place at the right time, on his way home and he saw a crime being committed," said Ortiz. "There was nothing else he could have done to prevent a heinous crime."
Ortiz added that the rookie cop is upset he had to fire his weapon.
"I have spoken to him every step of the way and, clearly, he is in shock," he continued. "This affects all of us. The last thing we want to do is take someone's life."
The F.O.P. said the officer has been on the force for less than a year. He'll be assigned to desk duties pending an investigation. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is handling it, which is standard procedure in police-involved shootings.
