November 2019

On November 16, 2019, a shooting occurred, two victims were traveling in their vehicle when it was struck by gunfire. The male driver was unharmed, but the female passenger was struck on the right arm by a projectile that entered through the windshield. The female was rushed to Aventura Hospital where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Detective Tovar responded to the scene and made contact with the male victim who provided his account of what occurred. The victim advised that he was at Walgreens, and while there, he engaged in a verbal dispute with a Hispanic male and a Black male that were together. The two males attempted to lure him to the rear of the Walgreens when he exited the store. The victim left the area with his girlfriend in an attempt to avoid any further confrontation. As the victim drove away, a champagne colored Nissan Altima drove next to his vehicle, and the victim observed the Hispanic subject from Walgreens shooting at his vehicle with a handgun, while the Black male was driving the vehicle. The victim sped away in fear as he noticed that his girlfriend had been struck. The victim was visibly shaken, and Detective Tovar reassured him that he would find the subject that shot at them. Detective Tovar immediately coordinated his resources to ensure that Crime Scene Technicians processed the scene and video surveillance of the incident was obtained from Walgreens. Video surveillance was immediately located which corroborated the victim’s account of what occurred. A “Need to Identify Flyer” was disseminated to North Miami Police Officers and neighboring agencies within hours of the incident, ensuring that officers were made aware of the incident. With the video surveillance obtained, and the extremely detailed description of the subjects that the victims provided, the North Miami Police Department Crime Suppression Unit was able to identify the shooter. The shooter, had been previously charged by North Miami Police Detectives with attempted murder, and he has a history of violence. The victim was provided with a photo line-up in which he positively identified the subject as the one that attempted to murder him and his girlfriend. Detective Tovar spent hours conducting surveillance and following anonymous tips in an attempt to locate the subject, who was staying with his girlfriend in Miami Shores. Detective Tovar contacted the Miami Shores Police Department and extended this information, alerting officers of the dangerous subject that was potentially in their area. A few days later, the subject was stopped and taken into custody by a Miami Shores Police Officer who knew that the subject was wanted by Detective Tovar. The subject was transported to the North Miami Police Department where Detective Tovar interviewed the subject with the assistance of Detective Kamesha Moffatt. The subject made incriminating statements that provided additional probable cause for his arrest, and he was charged with two counts of attempted murder. With the statements that the subject provided along with an anonymous tip that was received, the identification of the second subject was developed and also positively identified via photo-line-up by the victim. Detective Tovar has spent numerous hours in attempting to locate the second subject, and while he has not been located yet, it is only a matter of time before he is also brought to justice. Due to Detective Tovar’s exemplary compassion and dedication to his profession of serving the public and safeguarding, not only residents of the City, but also those who pass through, a violent career criminal has been taken off the streets.