Miami-Dade man allegedly shot couple who confronted him about dog cruelty

MIAMI DADE COUNTY, Florida. – A Miami-Dade man was arrested over the weekend after police said an altercation over alleged animal cruelty involving his dog escalated into a violent shooting involving multiple people and damaging several homes.

Miami-Dade police said their officers responded to reports of shots fired from a home near the 1100 block of Northeast 203rd Street in the unincorporated area of ​​Ives Estates around 12:20 p.m. Saturday.

When Miami-Dade police arrived, they found Albert Gomez, 38, armed with a firearm; another weapon was discovered on the ground nearby, a police report said.

The incident began earlier when a victim noticed what he believed to be animal cruelty to Gomez’s dog at a nearby intersection, the report said.

Concerned about the dog’s well-being, the victim and his father went to Gomez’s house to confront him, according to authorities.

What began as an argument over the treatment of the dog quickly escalated into a fight between Gomez and the victim, according to police.

According to authorities, the two men yelled at each other during the argument, after which the victim, according to Gomez, headbutted him, sparking the altercation.

According to police, the situation escalated when Gomez pulled out a gun and fired several shots at the victim.

Shortly after his gun jammed, Gomez grabbed another gun from his apartment and continued shooting the victim and his father, according to police.

As the struggle for the second gun continued, at least one shot was fired, hitting the tire of the victim’s vehicle, according to police.

According to investigators, Gomez told police that he picked up a gun from the ground during the struggle with the victim, but the gun jammed, so he returned to his house.

Shortly after his return, police said, Gomez knocked on the door and told his wife to call the police and give him back his gun.

When police conducted surveillance of the area, officers said they found two bullet impact marks on the house directly across from Gomez’s home. They said two other people were there at the time of the shooting.

Police said they found the bullet casings and Gomez’s weapons at the crime scene.

Those findings were consistent with statements from both Gomez and the victims, authorities said.

During questioning by detectives, police said Gomez also made a confession that was redacted in the publicly available report.

Police did not disclose the relationship between Gomez and the victims involved in the incident.

Jail records show Gomez faces one count each of firing or throwing a deadly projectile, aggravated assault on a person over 65 years of age, unauthorized discharge of a weapon in a public place or residential area and malicious damage to property.

Since Monday, the Colombian citizen has been held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bail has not yet been decided.