Photo: MDPD
The two nineteen year olds were arrested in connection with Monday's shooting of a Miami-Dade Police officer in Miami Gardens, officials said, their bond denied. Travis Fernandez and Drequan Humes were facing second-degree murder charges, but prosecutor Nessa Eth asked for more in court on Tuesday. The judge motioned for Fernandez and Humes to be charged with the first degree attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
Humes is also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The shooting happened outisde of a home around 10 a.m. Monday in the area of Northwest 154th Street and Northwest 20th Avenue.
According to arrest reports, Miami-Dade officers were in the area conducting surveillance on an unrelated shooting investigation when they saw four males with firearms in front of 1881 Northwest 154th Street. when confronted, a barrage of gunfire erupted. Witnesses in the neighborhood attest to that. Video surveillance show at least three people jumping a fence into someone's backyard shortly after the shooting.
The undercover officer was struck in the chest, but thanks to bulletproof gear, the bullet ricocheted. He was rushed to Ryder Trauma after suffering an injury to his face, officials said.
"He was wearing his vest and we do believe that the vest has caused him to be able to go home and be with his family," Miami-Dade Police Director Stephanie Daniels said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
Police initially said they had detained five people. While Fernandez and Humes are the sole suspects charged right now, investigators say both of these, the shooting and the orginal, unrelated crime, remain two active cases, and more arrests could follow.