A man who was shot and killed by police officers during an encounter at a home in Homestead over the weekend has been identified.
The incident happened around 2:30 a.m. Saturday at a home in the 400 block of Sunrise Boulevard.
Homestead Police confirmed on Monday that the man killed was 33-year-old Leandro Francisco Ledea Chong.
Officers initially responded to the home after receiving reports of shots fired, Homestead Police Capt. Fernando Morales said.
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When they arrived, the officers encountered Chong and were forced to fire, Morales said.
"An incident did occur with the officers where the officers were forced to fire their firearms, and there is one person deceased inside the residence," Morales said.
No officers were injured, and police haven't said whether Chong was armed.
“My son did not have weapons. He didn't have any guns," his mother, Katia Chong, told NBC6 in Spanish. "They didn’t find anything."
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A neighbor's surveillance camera captured the sound of the gunfire that brought officers to the home. Moments later, several police cars were seen driving to the home.
"It sounded like gunfire, and I was very scared because it was right back there," said one nearby resident, who didn't want to be identified. "I heard a lot of shots, and of course I was scared. I looked out the back window, and I saw the police were all here, surrounding the area, and there was one man screaming at them. They went inside the house, they were screaming back and forth, and shots were fired inside."
Footage showed Miami-Dade Police and their Special Response Team responding to the home. Investigators spent much of the day Saturday at the home gathering evidence.
Neighbors and police confirmed that officers had been to the home before, including on Friday.
Video from a witness showed officers with their guns drawn and pointed at a person in the doorway of the same home on Friday where Saturday's shooting happened.
"We have been at this residence before. We have had encounters with this individual in the past. So, all of that is part of this investigation that’s going to be occurring," Morales said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident, which is standard practice in police shootings.
Family members said Chong had mental health issues. His girlfriend told NBC6 he was schizophrenic, but didn't want to speak further because she said she's in the process of hiring an attorney.
His mother also confirmed he had schizophrenia and said she called fire rescue on Saturday because he wasn't doing well and talking to himself.
"My son’s death cannot go unpunished," Katia Chong said.
The family also created a GoFundMe page that claimed Chong's mother had called fire rescue to take him to rehab, but said police showed up with weapons drawn. His mother also mentioned she was frustrated with the court system because she felt enough was not done to get her son to a facility for treatment.
The post said he was wearing a fanny pack that had keys, a brochure and a screwdriver inside.
Homestead Police says their officers receive Crisis Intervention Training and they also have a Threat Management Team.
Ledea-Chong has been arrested multiple times and police say they’ve had at least 12 encounters with him since October.
