One person was killed and two others were injured when a disagreement between two groups inside a Walmart in Florida City escalated into gunfire on Wednesday afternoon, according to Miami-Dade police. The shooting that occurred at the Walmart at 33501 S Dixie Highway, close to the Florida Turnpike, has resulted in one arrest, authorities said.
The individual who was shot and later died at Jackson South Trauma Center was reportedly involved in the incident that led to the shooting. Nathaniel Baez, 23, was subsequently named as the suspect by police. A second man was an uninvolved witness when he was shot in the foot, and the woman who was shot in the head was trying to flee when she was hit.
Five further persons were reportedly treated at the site and discharged by medical personnel. The detained individual was not immediately recognized by police. According to a police spokeswoman, just before 3 p.m., someone in a disagreement between two groups of three persons pulled out a gun and fired shots. Police did not disclose the nature of the altercation.
The tweet below verifies the news:
The shooting occurred at the Walmart located at 33501 S Dixie Highway near the Florida Turnpike around 3 p.m.
https://t.co/HOb9xdsUsg— CBS Philadelphia (@CBSPhiladelphia) July 19, 2023
After the shooting, four other people involved in the brawl ran away, and as of Wednesday, the police were still looking for them. The incident caused widespread alarm among the store’s customers and employees. “Everybody started running, then I hear people saying get out of the store,” one witness said. “Next thing you know people are pushing me and I end up out of the store. I mean I thought I was going to die.”
“The first shot boom! (and) I said, ‘What’s that?'” witness Doreen Fine said. “Then it stopped and then boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!” People were seen waiting in the parking lot and a big police presence was visible in live footage from the location. “The Florida City Police Department immediately responded and that’s when they found two individuals who were suffering from apparent gun shot wounds,” said Miami-Dade police spokesperson Alvaro Zabaleta.
Customers of the hair salon where the victim was shot in the abdomen can be seen on mobile phone video obtained by CBS News Miami. The customers look on in horror as the man is attended to. “I heard five shots, the guy was shot five times,” a witness named Johanni claimed. “He started running through the salon and ended up on the floor.”
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CBS News Miami reports that Miami-Dade police have confirmed to them that they are helping Florida City police with their investigation into a shooting that occurred at a store in the latter’s city.
In a written statement to CBS News Miami, Walmart said: “We are deeply saddened by what took place in our Florida City store, and our thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones. The store is closed at this time. We will work closely with local law enforcement through the course of their investigation and will refer further questions to police.”
Social media videos depicted a chaotic scene with people shouting and one person lying on the ground. “As soon as I heard four bangs like screaming and like a stampede of people,” said witness Ana Lucia.
🚨#BREAKING: Massive Police Response as Injuries Reported in a Shooting Incident inside a Walmart store
Currently, Multiple Law enforcements and other emergency personnel are on the scene to a shooting incident inside a Walmart in Florida City,… pic.twitter.com/wmbbqTT9tv
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) July 19, 2023
A second social media post shows a man tweeting about the shooting and the sound of gunfire he heard as he and other customers left the business. Yellow crime scene tape and a significant police presence still surrounded the store’s parking lot as of 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
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