MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — An argument over a parking space in a crowded tourist district escalated into two fatal shootings, including one involving police officers, Florida authorities said Monday.
The initial fight began late Sunday when a white BMW attempted to parallel park along Ocean Drive in popular South Beach, according to an arrest report released by Miami Beach Police.
The space was too small for the BMW, which struck a parked Buick Regal several times. The Buick’s owner was nearby and walked over with another man to confront the other driver.
A verbal argument ensued after the Buick’s owner “asked the driver of the BMW how many more times he was going to hit his vehicle,” the report said.
The BMW’s driver told the other men to step back, then handed a gun to Jeffery Alexander, 19, of Brooklyn, New York, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, according to the report.
Police said Alexander fired multiple shots as the BMW pulled away from the parking space.
The Buick’s owner was shot in the leg. Police said Ladarian Tyrell Phillips, 30, of Homestead, Fla., was fatally shot in the back.
The BMW crashed into two police cars several blocks away, but it didn’t stop completely until confronted by two officers, who fired at it, said police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez.
One suspect in the car was shot and died at a hospital. Three other suspects in the car were detained, including one apprehended by a K9 officer after fleeing the scene on foot, police said.
The Buick’s owner identified Alexander as the gunman, according to the arrest report. Alexander was held without bond Monday at a Miami-Dade County jail on charges of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder. Jail records didn’t show whether he had an attorney.
