Barricaded man found dead inside Midtown Miami apartment after police standoff
MIAMI - A man is dead after an hours long police standoff at a Midtown Miami apartment building.
Miami police said just before 3 a.m., they received a call about a man wearing body armor and brandishing a rifle in the lobby of an apartment building in the 3400 block of E. Coast Avenue.
When officers arrived a witness told them which unit the man was in.
"They knocked on the door and were immediately confronted by an individual that was armed with a long rifle. The officers gave verbal commands, ultimately discharging their firearms in self-defense. The offender slammed the door shut. We were able to retreat the officers without any injury," said Miami police Chief Manny Morales.
Once police secured the floor, a SWAT team entered the apartment and discovered the man dead inside.
Police have not said if the man shot at the officers. It's also unclear if the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or the ones fired by the officers.
Some residents of the building said they were unaware that anything had happened until they saw the police out front.
"We didn't really realize it until we came out this morning and kind of quick did a Google search on our phone and kinda saw what was going on. It was a little alarming," said Kennedi Peri who lives in the apartment building.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting since it involved two Miami police officers discharging their weapons.
