A man is facing a murder charge after police said he shot and killed an employee in the lobby of a popular hotel on Miami Beach early Friday after he was denied entry to the hotel's nightclub, police said.
Miami Beach Police said the shooting took place just after midnight at the Clevelander Hotel located at 1020 Ocean Drive.
Officers responded and found man lying in a pool of blood suffering from apparent gunshot wounds in the hotel lobby. The victim was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center where he later died.
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An arrest report said the victim, 50-year-old Dion David Moore, had been working the front desk at the hotel.
According to witnesses and surveillance footage from the hotel, the suspect, 29-year-old Brandon Kortez Burris, had been trying to sneak into the Clevelander's nightclub through the hotel lobby, the report said.
After several failed attempts, Moore approached and asked Burris to leave the hotel, the report said.
The two got into a verbal argument and at one point, Burris threw a punch at Moore that missed, the report said.
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Moore started backing away and that's when Burris pulled a gun out of his waistband and opened fire on Moore, who was shot more than six times, the report said.
Burris fled the scene on foot but was found by officers in the area of 11th Street and Washington Avenue, the report said. A firearm was in his waistband when he was taken into custody, the report said.
Burris, of North Miami, faces a charge of second-degree murder with a weapon. Attorney information wasn't available.
Aerial footage from the scene showed a section of the hotel's pool area closed off by yellow crime scene tape Friday morning.
The hotel's management released a statement Friday calling it a "tragic shooting."
"We are devastated about the tragedy that occurred in the lobby of the Clevelander Hotel at approximately midnight on Thursday evening. One of our valued employees needlessly lost his life," the statement read. "We are fully cooperating with the Miami Beach Police Department as it conducts a thorough investigation and defer to them for further comment. Our top priority is the safety and wellness of all guests and employees at the Clevelander Hotel."
The shooting remains under investigation.
"It’s extremely unfortunate to see what is happening all throughout Dade County and all throughout South Florida and this is one example of a crazy person," Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez said. "How can we expect something like this to happen in our community? No one should expect this to happen in our community."
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