FDLE Looking Into Dade Police-Involved Shooting
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Law enforcement is investigating a police-involved shooting in northwest Miami-Dade county.
A Miami-Dade police officer fired on Francisco Perez Trejo while he was in a car at NW 90th Street and 26th Avenue Monday night.
It happened when two plain clothed detectives in an unmarked car noticed some suspicious activity. We don't know specifically what that was, but investigators say when they approached him, he did not follow orders.
"The man refused to stop making abrupt movements inside the vehicle as if he was reaching for something," said Jennifer Capote with the Miami-Dade Police.
Police said Perez refused to lower his window and continued to move around inside. That's when police said the detectives feared for their safety.
"The driver of the vehicle refuse and the officers are forced to fire," said Capote.
"Remember, we're talking about maybe a second maximum where all this happens, where police officers have to make these decisions. It's either their life or the other ones," said John Rivera with Miami-Dade's Police Benevolent Association – the police union.
Rivera credits the officers with keeping the streets safe. He said the officer who fired may be a 9-year veteran and that he was with his sergeant.
"They are like a crime prevention unit. They go out and their job is to specifically look for suspicious behavior in these communities so that they can try to catch the bad guys," said Rivera.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) investigates police-involved shootings for Miami-Dade when someone is hit. They will likely look into the fact that the officers were in plain clothes and in an unmarked unit. Rivera says he does not expect any issues there.
"I think in this case and I think the evidence will bear out that they properly identified themselves," said Rivera.