Crimewatch

MIAMI (CBS4) ― It started with a viewer's e-mail to Neighbors for Neighbors for help. Business owner Derrick Coleman told us he'd been victimized twice in three days and even shot as well.

When we started investigating, we found that the same criminals apparently had also burglarized his neighbor in a small plaza along Northwest 27th Ave. at 45th St., the Brownsville Community Development Corporation. It's an agency that helps the community with a series of programs for youngsters.

Executive Director Alvin Delaney said two computers, a laptop, monitors and telephones worth more than $2,000 were stolen. He said one of the counselors found a back door on the ground last Wednesday morning, the same day that Coleman's business was burglarized after the criminals also entered the office by removing his back door.

"They had a special device or bar to pry the door open by popping off the hinges," said Delaney. "I feel somewhat betrayed. We do things for people in the community." He said the Chief Executive Officer of the Brownsville Community Development Corporation is a pastor of a local church.

Just one block away, three weeks ago, criminals preyed on another agency that helps those in need, the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Center. Kalenthia Nunnallybain, the Center's Executive Director, told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "We came in and found the copper gone from the outside air conditioning unit. So it didn't work. They also went into the nearby meter room and stole all the copper water pipes, so there was water all over the place."

Nunnallybain said, "I think they get so much money from the copper that they do anything they can to get ahold of it. I feel like I was vandalized. Because I had to use my personal money for the air conditioning."

Coleman said his business at 4520 N.W. 27th Ave. was burglarized on Wednesday of last week. He said his mens and childrens clothing, a laptop computer and his cash register were all stolen. He was not insured for the roughly $10,000 loss because he couldn't afford an insurance policy in this crime-plagued area.

Coleman believes the same two, young men returned to his business around 6:30 last Friday night and held him at gunpoint, while his wife Kathia and 3-year-old son, Shamar, were in the store.

"He just pulled out a gun and said to me, don't worry about your clothing. I'm going to kill you. My first instinct was to charge him. I did that and we landed outside."

Coleman ran towards a nearby store. Four shots were fired. One bullet struck him in the upper left thigh. Coleman was hospitalized and now needs crutches to walk around.

"I'm traumatized. I haven't been back to my store until today," he said. "I have no insurance. I'm at a loss. I don't know what I'm going to do," Coleman said. 

Coleman opened the store on December 21st. "I just got here," he said. "I can't believe this." He and his wife used to operate a clothing store in Overtown. They were burglarized three years ago.

"We moved to Brownsville because we thought it would be safe," said Kathia Coleman. "Our landlord told us we would be safe. Now look at this. I can't go back to the store until we have a surveillance camera and a security system.

Coleman is not sure if he can continue to operate. "All I can say is I'm alive. Thank God I am alive. I thought I was dead, my wife was dead and my 3-year-old was dead."

Coleman said as far as he knows, no suspects have been arrested. Miami-Dade police had no update on his case.

Police described the suspects in his robbery as African-American males in their early 20s. Both were wearing a white t-shirt with blue jeans. They were estimated to be between 5'9" and 5'10" tall, weighing around 150-160 pounds.

"They had no tattoos and were very clean shaven with close cropped hair," said Coleman. "One was light skinned. The other was very dark skinned." They were possibly seen leaving the area in white Ford Crown Victoria with dark-tinted windows.

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