'She Had To Protect Her Husband': Shootout Inside NW Dade Dollar Store, No One Hurt

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - There were some tense moments outside a Family Dollar Store Tuesday morning in northwest Miami-Dade, where police say the store manager's wife was involved in a shootout with a gunman.

Fortunately, no one was injured.

Miami-Dade police told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that they are questioning at least two people.

According to police, it started when the manager of the store, at NW 17th Avenue and 71st Street, fired a female employee. Police said she and her boyfriend got in to an argument with the store manager and they left and they returned with another man who had a weapon and who fired it, leading to the shootout.

"He had some sort of altercation with a lady who works there and she left and she came back with some guys. They got into an altercation with my grandson, they were tussling with a gun and my granddaughter had to run him over before he killed her husband," said Leslie Taylor, the grandmother of the store manager's wife.

Taylor said her 22-year-old granddaughter had to take action and got her gun as shots were fired. She said her granddaughter hit the alleged gunman with her car.

"She had to protect her husband. They both got registered guns and when a shootout ensued, she thought her husband was going to be injured, she fired the gun and everyone in the altercation, they left. My grandson and my granddaughter stayed there to talk to the police and tell them what happened," she said.

Taylor said she was deeply upset about what happened.

"I just want all my babies to be okay. This is very stressful, it doesn't make any sense," she said.

Taylor said this incident reminded her of how she lost her son, Gary Bell Jr., to gun violence in October 2012. She said his killer has not been found.

"I can't even think straight. I buried my 17-year-old son. My son was murdered at the Brownsville Metrorail station. I was crazy. I don't know if I would be able to handle another child or grandchild being harmed by gun violence," she said.

She added that this was not the first time there has been violence in the store.

Meanwhile, in a bizarre development, Jametrius Burkes, a man who said he was the boyfriend of the fired employee, showed up at the store and said that the store manager's wife had no reason to fire her weapon.

"I didn't see anyone firing at him," said Burkes. "She let out a shot without any conversation, without talking to us. I didn't see anyone firing at them. I was tussling with the manager because he had a gun on him the whole time. She shot at me when I was trying to talk to him. Once the shots came out, I took off running because I was scared for my life."

Miami-Dade Police were apparently looking for Burkes.

Moments after that interview, he was placed in handcuffs and taken into custody by two Miami-Dade police Officers. Before that happened, Burkes said his girlfriend was being questioned by police.

There was no word from the police on the search for the gunman.

If you can help find him, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).