A day after a Miami-Beach police officer shot and killed a man in Liberty City, authorities say the suspect was unarmed but had an extensive rap sheet.
Julio Santiago, 33, was shot around 8 p.m. Wednesday night after a multi-agency task force heard gunshots in the area of Northwest 6th Avenue and Northwest 75th Street.
The Miami Beach officer began to chase the stolen vehicle he was driving, but Santiago ran away on foot and was eventually found hiding in a bush.
“We do not have the information as to exactly what occurred between the officer and the subject during that confrontation,” said the Miami-Dade police spokeswoman. “What I can tell you is that as of right now, no hand gun was recovered.”
Police called Santiago a “career criminal,” with an extensive criminal past. His rap sheet is 24 pages long and includes burglary, grand theft and arson. Police say Santiago had three outstanding warrants at the time he was killed.
But family members said Santiago was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
“He was killed for no reason," said his sister Vanessa Valentine. "It makes no sense why he was killed.”
Santiago worked for Midtown Towing. A fellow employee told NBC Miami he did not cause any trouble.
“He was a very nice guy, but like I said, you can know a person one way and God knows the other side of him,” said fellow tow truck company worker Jorge Crespo. “But he was a very good guy, never problematic, but we don’t know what happened. We’re not going to accuse him of anything.”
The Miami Beach police department is different than Miami-Dade in that their debriefing after a shooting is lengthier and the investigation into the shooting will take longer.
