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Nov 20, 2009 7:32 pm US/Eastern
Strip Club Fight May Have Led To Miami Shooting
Police Say Road Rage Might Not Be Cause Of Shooting
Police Sources Say The Victims Were Involved In An Argument At A Hialeah Strip Club Before The Crime
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
There are new clues in the drive-by shooting early Friday that claimed one life and left his friend on a ventilator, fighting for his life at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Miami Police sources tell
CBS4 that the key to this case may be what happened earlier in the morning at a Hialeah adult nightclub named PT'S, once known as Treasure Island, located off the Palmetto Expressway near Northwest 103rd Street.
CBS4 has learned that family members of the victims have told police that the two men had stopped at PT'S and had gotten into a fight. That's why police say that anyone who was at the club and who knows anything should call them or
Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
Police say the crime happened around 6:30 a.m. when a car that was possibly a blue Chevrolet Malibu pulled up to their van at the intersection of Northeast 1st Avenue and 10th Street. Shots were fired.
Thirty-nine-year-old Franco Rodriguez, a father of five, and 32-year-old Manuel Suarez, from Hialeah, were rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Rodriguez did not survive. Suarez is in critical condition.
Grieving family members rushed to the hospital.
Rodriguez's brother, Herman Torres, told
CBS4's Peter D'Oench, that "My brother was awesome, a great father of five children. This is really rough. He was a great man. They were just out for a good time. In the worst way, it's a sad situation. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I would just like to see justice served."
His sentiments were echoed by his wife, Rodriguez's sister-in-law, Margie Torres, who said, "It's horrible, with the holiday approaching. It's so unfortunate. We're really sad."
One witness who identified himself as "Demetrius" said he was having breakfast at a shelter when he heard the shots that were fired. "It was early this morning. All of us heard it."
He said he went over to the victim's SUV and discovered a horrifying site. Asked if the victims were responding, Demetrius said, "The driver was but the passenger was trying to breathe."
The Miami Police gang unit is investigating. Sources say the shooting does not appear to be gang related. And police are moving away from the possibility that this may have been a case of road rage.
Records show that Suarez has a record. He was arrested for tresspassing in December 2002 and he was arrested and convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia and cocaine. Police are not sure what the motive was and what the Hialeah men were doing at Northeast 1st Ave. and 10th St. at 6:30 in the morning.
CBS4's Sharrie Williams contributed to this report
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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