A suspected serial killer targeted homeless people in Miami, fatally shooting a man and leaving another critically injured earlier this week, and police believe he's also responsible for another killing in October.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Interim Police Chief Manuel Morales announced the arrest of 25-year-old Willy Maceo Suarez during a news conference Thursday.
"On the eve of Christmas we have a very dangerous person off of the streets now," Suarez said.
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Two of the shootings happened Tuesday night, the first around 8 p.m. in the area of the 400 block of Southwest 2nd Avenue, Morales said.
Officers arriving at the scene found a homeless man who had been shot in the head. He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center in extremely critical condition, Morales said.
About two hours later, a second homeless man was shot and killed in the area of Miami Avenue and 21st Street.
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Video showed a black vehicle arriving at the scene and someone shoot the man as he was laying on the ground, Morales said.
Morales said detectives quickly connected the two shootings, and the ballistics from both scenes matched.
Using the video, detectives were able to get a vehicle type and license plate, and searched until they found the vehicle and Maceo Suarez, Morales said.
Maceo Suarez had a firearm that matched the caliber used in the shootings, Morales said.
As Maceo Suarez was being taken to the police station, an officer noticed that he resembled a person involved in an Oct. 16 incident in the area of Miami Avenue and 1st Street that left another homeless man dead, Morales said.
Morales said Maceo Suarez will be charged with murder and attempted murder in Tuesday's shootings. He said detectives are still asking for the public's help to connect him to the Oct. 16 shooting.
