MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - The family of a 27-year-old man killed in a police-involved shooting in Miami Gardens held a news conference to address the actions by the officers.
The relatives of Daniel Lewis, who also went by Julio Trill, alleged that Miami Gardens Police and agents from the FBI, U.S Marshals Service, and ATF killed their loved one without cause.
“I watched my son take his last breath and that’s the hardest thing a mother could ever do,” said Angela Lewis, Daniel’s mother. “I want to know why did this have to happen?”
The family, with their attorney by their side, said officers violated their training and protocols when they shot and killed Daniel.
“He was shot and killed and law enforcement violated protocol, violated police procedures,” said Ariel Lett, the family’s lawyer.
The shooting took place on the night of May 30. According to police, officials were called in by the city to help with a rash of gun violence.
Officers said they were responding to a report of another shooting when they encountered a vehicle that was carrying Daniel’s sister and others.
“We’re being chased by three cars,” said the cousin who was in the car.
Jafari Russell told 7News in May that they had no idea who was following them that night because the police vehicles were unmarked and they didn’t use police lights or sirens.
“‘I’m terrified for my life. There are three cars, black, tinted up cars chasing us,” said Russell.
Russell said they called ahead to alert Daniel, who was at home, and then the car crashed into the fence of the home as they tried to escape the vehicle following them.
The attorney said that is when Daniel, who had a license to carry a gun, walked outside with a pistol in his hand, to see what was going on.
“Not once did anyone yell ‘Police stop, police freeze.’ Instead, what they did was they gunned down a law-abiding citizen, in his backyard, on his back door step without warning,” Lett said.
But officers push back against the claim and said they had no choice but to fire.
“They were fired upon, and as a result, our officers went ahead and returned fire,” said Miami Gardens Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt.
Daniel’s legal team, however, said there is no evidence that Daniel ever pulled the trigger or that any of the bullet casings that were found that night match his gun.
“This was a bad shoot, it should not have happened,” said Chris Lomax, a lawyer with Lomax Legal.
“Nobody will understand what was taken from us, and all we want to know is why. Why, why did this have to happen?” said Angela.
The attorney said that they haven’t taken any legal action yet but are exploring all options.
The shootout remains under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI.
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