Domestic dispute leaves 5 people shot to death

McClatchy Newspapers

MIAMI — An enraged, estranged Miami husband opened fire at a birthday party early Sunday, killing his estranged wife, her mother and daughter and also the daughter’s boyfriend.

He then drove home and set his home and truck ablaze before committing suicide, police said.

“Unfortunately, we have five people dead as a result of a domestic dispute,” said Kenia Alfonso, a Miami police spokeswoman.

Detectives on Sunday were piecing together the carnage that left a family’s three generations of women dead. The mass killing is the second in three weeks in Miami-Dade.

Sunday’s unidentified shooter showed up uninvited at the party held at the home where his estranged wife had been staying, on the 2800 block of Southwest 38th Court, said Miami homicide Det. Ervens Ford.

There were about 15 guests who had roasted a pig to celebrate someone’s 27th birthday. The shooter blamed some of those present for his marital break-up, then opened fire, targeting those close to his wife, Ford said.

Neighbors heard more than 20 shots, then saw partygoers frantically running down the street, trying to get away from the gunfire and yelling for someone to call 911.

A pregnant woman, who was among the guests, was injured in the melee after the shooting and remains hospitalized.

After shooting his victims, the shooter jumped into his red Tacoma truck and rushed to his duplex on 700 block of Southwest 33rd Avenue.

He apparently rigged his house and truck with propane and gas tanks, which he ignited before killing himself.

“The fire was intentionally set,” said Miami Fire spokesman Ignatius Carroll. The tanks had been strategically placed inside the home to cause severe damage, he said. A gasoline tank was also found inside the truck.

It’s unclear if the shooter made those preparations earlier, or after returning to his home.

On Sunday, detectives were working two crime scenes, where the shooting occurred and the suspect’s charred home.

Police said the incident began shortly after midnight, when they received a call of multiple shots being fired.

A red pickup truck had been spotted leaving the scene.

Arriving units found four dead partygoers inside the home.

Soon after, someone called 911 to report a house fire about three miles away. Shots had also been heard coming from inside. Arriving Miami firefighters found the alleged gunman dead — and the house blaze.

Police did not release the names of those who died because family members hadn’t been notified.

On Sunday, the Miami-Dade medical examiner’s office had to send two vans to collect the victims.