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Man slays wife and relatives at birthday party
Source: Agencies |
March 17, 2009, Tuesday
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A MAN barged into a birthday party in a Cuban neighborhood of Miami, the United States, early on Sunday, shot his estranged wife and three other people to death, then went home, set his truck and house on fire and killed himself, police said.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene that started when the man showed up uninvited at the party and told about a dozen people there that he blamed them for his wife leaving him, said homicide detective Ervens Ford.
Then he opened fire. Some took cover while others, including a pregnant woman, ran into the street.
"It was chaotic," Ford said. "I can't imagine what it was like in there."
The man also killed his 51-year-old wife's mother and daughter, along with her daughter's boyfriend, whose birthday they were celebrating, Ford said.
Police did not release the victims' names because other family members had not been notified. They said the man and his wife were married four years ago and they were not sure when she left him.
Officers got a call shortly after midnight that numerous shots had been fired and a red pickup truck had been spotted leaving the scene.
Juan Sosa, who lives a block away, was out walking his dog when he heard two shots and saw people running toward him, screaming. Then he heard as many as two dozen more shots and ducked behind a large tree to call police.
"I didn't want to get hit," he said.
A pregnant woman, who fled, was taken to the hospital as a precaution, but she was not hurt.
Soon after, someone called police to say a building about 5 kilometers away was on fire and more shots had been fired. That's where officials found the alleged gunman dead. Ford said the man set fire to both his truck and the building he lived in before shooting himself.
Janseen Almodovar, who lives across the street, rushed outside when he heard people screaming and honking. He said the entire building and a truck out front were in flames. "We thought the truck was going to blow up," he said.
Panicked neighbors were not sure if anyone was inside the one-story building but they could not knock because the fire was so intense.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene that started when the man showed up uninvited at the party and told about a dozen people there that he blamed them for his wife leaving him, said homicide detective Ervens Ford.
Then he opened fire. Some took cover while others, including a pregnant woman, ran into the street.
"It was chaotic," Ford said. "I can't imagine what it was like in there."
The man also killed his 51-year-old wife's mother and daughter, along with her daughter's boyfriend, whose birthday they were celebrating, Ford said.
Police did not release the victims' names because other family members had not been notified. They said the man and his wife were married four years ago and they were not sure when she left him.
Officers got a call shortly after midnight that numerous shots had been fired and a red pickup truck had been spotted leaving the scene.
Juan Sosa, who lives a block away, was out walking his dog when he heard two shots and saw people running toward him, screaming. Then he heard as many as two dozen more shots and ducked behind a large tree to call police.
"I didn't want to get hit," he said.
A pregnant woman, who fled, was taken to the hospital as a precaution, but she was not hurt.
Soon after, someone called police to say a building about 5 kilometers away was on fire and more shots had been fired. That's where officials found the alleged gunman dead. Ford said the man set fire to both his truck and the building he lived in before shooting himself.
Janseen Almodovar, who lives across the street, rushed outside when he heard people screaming and honking. He said the entire building and a truck out front were in flames. "We thought the truck was going to blow up," he said.
Panicked neighbors were not sure if anyone was inside the one-story building but they could not knock because the fire was so intense.
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