Kendall

‘I shot my son': Bodycam video shows father arrested after shooting son in Kendall

David Contreras, 52, is facing a second-degree murder charge in the Nov. 3 killing of Eric Contreras

NBC Universal, Inc.

Dramatic new police bodycam footage shows the moment a father accused of fatally shooting his 21-year-old son in Kendall back in November was arrested.

David Contreras, 52, is facing a second-degree murder charge in the Nov. 3 killing of Eric Contreras at the family's home.

The bodycam footage obtained by NBC6 Friday shows the moments after police arrived to the residence and officers with guns drawn asked Contreras to come out with his hands up.

The video shows the father complied with police as he cried while being taken into custody.

"I shot my son," Contreras told police while he sobbed. He then directed police to where in the home his son's body could be found.

Before police arrived, Contreras was captured on a Ring doorbell video explaining the incident to his wife.

"Is he alive? Is he breathing?" his wife asked.

"No, he's not breathing," Contreras replied. "He's dead."

Contreras appeared in court Thursday for a hearing as he seeks to be released on bond.

Thursday's court proceedings, known as an Arthur hearing, are similar to a small, expedient trial that could end up granting David Contreras bond.

During the hearing, Contreras was seen crying and breaking down while listening to the 911 call he made after shooting his son in the head.

"What did I do?" Contreras said in the call. "I was fighting with my son...I lost it, he wouldn't stop."

Eric Contreras was described by his friends as a funny and loving college student, who often had fights with his parents.

The friends said the family had been in Orlando for a Disney trip but said because of how Eric was acting, he and his dad came back to Kendall, a fight escalated and turned deadly.

According to an arrest report, David Contreras shot his son multiple times "for unknown reasons" then called police and told them he'd shot his son.

Miami-Dade Corrections, Family Photo
David Contreras, Eric Contreras

When officers arrived to the scene near 10703 Southwest 84th Avenue, they found Eric Contreras suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

In the 911 calls from the incident, a man who identified himself as David Contreras' other son explained to a dispatcher that he wasn't at the home but had just received calls from his parents.

"I don't know, I think something happened to my brother, my dad's calling and he's freaking out," he told the dispatcher. "My mom called me saying that someone's dead, I'm not sure, I'm freaking out."

Police said it's not the first time David Contreras threatened to shoot his son. Last May, police said he shot at the ceiling, and on Halloween, just days before the fatal shooting, he pointed a gun at his son.

The father’s attorney said Eric struggled with his mental health, and that may have been a factor in the incident.

"This is just a very tragic situation. He is distraught," defense attorney Frank Quintero Jr., one of three lawyers representing David Contreras, told NBC6 over the phone after the incident. "The victim is the son of the defendant, and the victim has suffered from some severe emotional and mental conditions, and we're still trying to determine what happened, why it happened."

David Contreras' attorney entered a not guilty plea for him back in November at a formal arraignment, but he's been held without bond since his arrest.

Defense attorneys are hoping David Contreras will be allowed to go home while he awaits trial. Prosecutors want him to stay in jail.

The hearing was expected to continue in March.

Contact Us