Hialeah

Teen Charged as Adult in Fatal Botched Robbery Shooting at Hialeah Shopping Center

Raul Araujo was booked into Miami-Dade jail on a second-degree murder charge Monday night in the incident that left 17-year-old Steve Arnoux dead, records showed

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A 15-year-old accused of being involved in a botched robbery in a Hialeah shopping center parking lot last month that ended in a shooting that left his alleged accomplice dead is now being charged as an adult.

Raul Araujo was booked into Miami-Dade jail on a second-degree murder charge Monday night in the incident that left 17-year-old Steve Arnoux dead, records showed.

The incident happened back on Dec. 12 in the parking lot area of a Target at 1750 West 37th Street.

One teen was killed and another was wounded and is facing a murder charge after police said they were shot by a man they were trying to rob in the parking lot of a Hialeah shopping center. NBC 6's Laura Rodriguez reports

Hialeah Police officials said the victim had listed some firearms for sale on a website and was contacted by Arnoux who said he was interested and wanted to meet to make the purchase.

During the sale, the teens gave the victim counterfeit money but when the victim told them it was fake, Araujo pulled out a gun and held the victim at gunpoint as Arnoux robbed the victim of his guns, police said.

The victim was in fear for his safety and pulled out another gun from his waistband and opened fire, hitting both teens, police said.

Hialeah Fire Rescue responded and brought both teens to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where Arnoux died, police said.

Officials said the gun the teens had used in the robbery had been reported stolen in a separate armed robbery, and detectives are looking into several similar armed robberies.

Araujo appeared in court Tuesday, where he was ordered held without bond, pending an upcoming evidentiary hearing Monday. There, a judge will determine whether Araujo should be released conditionally.

Araujo's attorney placed the blame on the man who was selling the guns.

"The alleged victim in this case, he thought it was a good idea to sell guns to minors. That minor specifically being the decedent in this case," the attorney said.

Araujo's attorney went on to say a witness claimed Arnoux pulled a gun on the victim, not Araujo.

"The allegation is (that) my client had a gun. There was another witness who was present ... who's going to say the 17-year-old decedent had the gun, not my client," the attorney said. "So there is conflicting evidence on that."

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