Neighbor Willie Davis says he heard "like two or three gunshots," around 8 p.m. Saturday night near NW 23rd Avenue and 52nd Street.
Miami-Dade Police say 62-year-old Oscar Padilla was in the driver's seat of a red Toyota Corolla. His 51-year-old wife, Maritza Colindres, was in the passenger's seat and a female friend was sitting in the back. They were heading northbound when police say the driver of a red pick up truck, traveling in the opposite direction, cut them off.
"With a firearm, he walks over to the driver, starts to have a discussion with him. There's an exchange of words. Next thing you know, the subject then shoots driver multiple times and shoots the passenger," said Detective Alvaro Zabaleta with Miami Dade Police.
The suspect then jumped back into his pick-up truck and sped off. Police originally thought this could have been the result of road rage, but now believe the victims and the suspect know each other. The witness in the back seat, who was not hurt, says she heard her friends calling the suspect "flaco." That's a Spanish word meaning thin, that is often used as a nickname.
"Calling him by his nickname, it's obvious they were known to the subject," said Zabaleta.
What led the suspect to fire at the husband and wife is still under investigation. Miami-Dade Police say the man is dangerous and need the public's help catching him.
"This individual is that brazen to go and shoot the driver and the passenger multiple times, of course we consider him to be armed and dangerous," said Zabaleta.
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The victims are expected to survive. They were undergoing surgery at Ryder Trauma Center late Saturday night.
Police describe the suspect as a Hispanic man with a thin build who responds to the nickname flaco. He was last seen driving a red pick up truck.
If you have any information that can help police, you're urged to call Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
