A man was shot to death by police in Hialeah early Sunday morning, and his body wound up lying on the ground just steps away from a popular neighborhood church.
The family has identified the victim as Lester Machado. Police have not confirmed the person’s identity, though. Machado’s name appeared in the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s database.
“He didn’t deserve to die like this,” said Lizbed Padron, Machado’s girlfriend.
The incident happened around 4 a.m. in the 3500 block of Northwest 79th Street in Hialeah.
A white Honda Civic at the scene was covered in bullet holes.
“It looked like they hit it 40-50 times for sure," said Barbaro Hernandez, a local resident. "And the guy on the floor … horrible."
“I was actually sleeping and the gun shots woke me up. As I’m walking here, I see a body. I don’t know what the situation is, but from what I’m finding out, something about a chase and police and the guy shooting at them,” said Barbaro.
Investigators blocked off the area, preventing some residents from getting home.
“I don’t know … They had to do what they had to do, I guess,” said Nicholas Castellon, a local resident, “The guy apparently hit some cop cars too and they were in the chase.”
The scene was still active long after the sun came up, as tow trucks removed four patrol cars, some with visible damage.
“Oh my gosh, that’s terrible,” said Anne Blance, a local resident, “The area is so nice, people are really sweet here. It’s scary.”
Local
NBC 6 spoke with Clergymen in the church. They said their security cameras captured the shooting and have provided that video to police.
The church grounds are now part of the investigation, since one of their walls is covered in about twenty bullet holes.
