By David J. Neal
Source Miami Herald
A Saturday evening encounter in a Publix parking lot between police officers from Miami-Dade and Homestead agencies and an armed man ended with the man being shot.
Miami-Dade police say Alexander Arrington, 44, was airlifted by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to Jackson South Medical Center, where he died.
The officer who shot Arrington, Fransisco Moreno, has been with Miami-Dade Police Department for 30 years.
Graphic videos of the encounter and shooting were posted to the Instagram and Twitter accounts, @HomesteadSocial.
Miami-Dade police say a security guard was told about a man looking into a car parked at the Publix, 2950 NE Eighth St. in Homestead at around 6 p.m. When the security guard came over to the man, police say, the latter pulled out a gun.
On the video, someone can be heard yelling “Get down! Put the weapon down!” before Arrington fires into the driver’s side of a white minivan four times. Arrington then starts repeating, “I’m going home...go home...go home...go home...I’m going home” while walking toward the rear of the car, gun in his right hand and held at shoulder level.
“I want to go home,” he says before shooting into the car twice more.
Miami-Dade police says the gunshots got the attention of Moreno, off-duty and parked in his personal car.
Meanwhile, the video shows, a Homestead officer, using a post near the front of the Publix as a partial shield, drew his gun and yelled at Arrington, “Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!”
“I’m going home. I’m going home. I’m going home!” Arrington shouts as the Homestead officer shouts, “Put the gun down, sir!”
The Homestead officer repeated his request as Arrington with more analysis than taunt, “You can’t hit me from there!” and started to do something with the driver’s side doorhandle.
The Homestead officer again repeatedly shouted “Stop!” Someone yelled, “No one’s trying to hurt anybody!”
When the Homestead officer shifted back to “Put the gun down!” Arrington replied, “No, I’m going home.”
More repeated shouts of “Put the gun down!” were ignored as Arrington continued facing the driver’s side door with his gun still in hand. He appears to look to his right a breath before shots come from that direction.
Arrington was on the ground, his blood on the rear driver’s side door. Into the video’s frame from the right comes Moreno, who yells at the Homestead officer, “I’m a cop! Miami-Dade!” and requests Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting, as is standard procedure.
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