An escaped inmate from New Hampshire was identified as the suspect who was shot and killed by an officer after he allegedly threatened two people with a knife inside a Miami Beach store.
Darien Young, 29, was a minimum-security resident at the New Hampshire Department of Corrections and had escaped the facility a week before, officials said.
Miami Beach Police responded to a Victoria’s Secret on Lincoln Road and Jefferson Avenue after a disturbance call came in around 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
When officers arrived, they said they found a man armed with a knife and threatening two people inside the store — that’s when an officer opened fire, hitting the suspect, officials said.
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Young was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where he later was pronounced dead.
“I was able to hear the gunshots. I heard the sound. I thought I was mesmerized a little bit," said Shanell Santiago, who works nearby. "I was like, maybe it’s in my head right now. I didn’t have music on. So it was clear as day.”
Video obtained by NBC6 showed Miami Beach Police going door to door, evacuating shops along Lincoln Road. Another video showed officers running toward the store as two people exited, embracing each other.
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Young was incarcerated on several charges, including burglary and controlled drugs, officials said. He walked off the grounds at Calumet Transitional Housing Unit on Friday, July 21, and failed to return.
It's still unclear why he held the two at gunpoint, but police said there's nothing to indicate that there was any prior relationship between Young and the two people he was threatening.
The officer who fired the shot is now on leave, which is standard procedure anytime an officer pulls the trigger. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.
"Our agents and analysts will establish a timeline, interview officers and witnesses, and review any video, including surveillance video, body-worn camera footage, and cell phone video," FDLE said in a statement. "FDLE's investigation is limited to the shooting itself."
Police said the two victims were not injured and no other people at the scene were hurt.
