Miami parking-lot argument turns deadly, man charged with attempted murder

A parking-lot argument near Northwest Miami Court and Northeast 71st Street turned into an attempted murder case in minutes, according to Miami police, after Samuel Saint Remy allegedly chased down a driver who was trying to leave and fired multiple rounds into the vehicle.

Officers were sent to the area just before 9 p.m. Sunday after ShotSpotter registered four alerts. When police arrived, they found the victim inside his car and quickly began piecing together what happened in the lot at 7101 N. Miami Ave., where surveillance video reportedly captured the confrontation.

Police said Saint Remy, 32, called 911 and claimed the other man tried to hit him with a car, prompting him to shoot. But investigators reviewing the video said the sequence was very different: the two men were arguing, the victim got into his vehicle and started to drive away, and Saint Remy ran up to the car and fired as the driver was no longer posing any immediate threat. Miami police Officer Michael Vega said the victim was “at no immediate threat” when he was shot.

NBC 6 reported the footage also showed Saint Remy reaching into his waistband, following the vehicle on foot and firing multiple shots while the car was not moving. Investigators recovered 15 spent shell casings near the victim’s vehicle, a sign of how quickly the encounter escalated and how many rounds were fired in the parking lot.

Police also said they recovered a black-and-silver Smith & Wesson handgun, along with one empty magazine and one full magazine from Saint Remy. Two witnesses told officers they heard several gunshots but did not see the shooting itself. The victim was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, and officers gave first aid before fire rescue crews arrived.

Saint Remy has been charged with attempted second-degree murder, displaying or using a firearm while committing a felony, and unlawful discharge of a firearm. The case now centers on whether the shooting was a lawful response to an imminent threat or a violent escalation captured on camera, a question that matters under Florida law, which allows force only when a person reasonably believes it is necessary to defend against imminent unlawful force.

The arrest also lands inside a broader push by Miami-Dade prosecutors and police against gun violence. The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office says its Gun Violence Reduction Initiative, launched in 2016 with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Northside District and Miami Police Department, has led to more than 100 arrests and the confiscation of over 700 illegal firearms.