A welfare check for an elderly woman turned into a disturbing find inside a Southwest Miami-Dade home, and now police are investigating the shooting deaths of four people.
Miami-Dade Police units responded to the residence in the area of Southwest 137th Court, near 47th Street, just after 2 p.m., Sunday.
Officers were conducting a welfare check on a hospice patient. When they entered the home, they found that patient, a woman in her 80s, shot to death.
Police said there were three other people found dead: an elderly man, a woman and a man possibly in his 60s.
Investigators believe the man in his 60s shot the other three people and turned the gun on himself.
“[Officers] did find them in three different rooms. One of the victims was, I believe, in one of the bedrooms, the elderly victims were found in another room, I believe another bedroom, and the presumed shooter was found in another room with a firearm next to him,” said MDPD Detective Angel Rodriguez.
Detectives think all four people related, but don’t know how just yet.
Police spent hours going in and out of the home. Officers, forensic units and a medical examiner blocked off the entrance to 137th Court while they continued their investigation.
A neighbor who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera spoke with 7News about the elderly woman.
“Up until that point, she had been walking around the neighborhood with her walker,” she said.
The neighbor said the hospice patient had recently suffered a stroke and lived in the home with her elderly ex-husband, her son and daughter-in-law.
“I spoke to the nurse that went in every day. She also had a health care worker who came in and bathed her every day,” she said. “They were there last on Wednesday, and they said that she was very, you know, optimistic, she was talking, she was in good spirits. Meanwhile, her son, I hear, was not in good spirits. They said he was very depressed about what had happened to his mom.”
Other neighbors were stunned to hear about what happened.
“It’s really not something that you see very often, or ever, in this neighborhood,” said a man
“It took me by surprise to see all this scene, the road blocked off with so many cops. It’s scary,” said a woman.
Police have not determined why the shooter would do this but made a plea to the community.
“Please, if you are in a position where you’re not feeling well, you need someone to talk to, please reach out,” said Rodriguez. “There are plenty of services; we have plenty of services within the county, and there are many different entities, different agencies in the community that also provide assistance.”
If you, or someone you know is struggling, help is available on the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. You can also contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness at NAMI.org.
