COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — A man wanted in a deadly shooting in Miami Thursday was captured in Columbia County Friday morning.
Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) responded to a home around 8:40 p.m. where a man and woman had been shot. The woman was pronounced dead by Fire Rescue and the man was transported to a nearby hospital with critical injuries.
Investigators determined the male victim, who works as a handyman, arrived at the home with the female. As the handyman worked, a man arrived and asked the homeowner for the female victim by name. Police say an argument soon erupted at the front door between the woman and the suspect, which is when the man pulled out a gun and fatally shot her.
The man then reportedly entered the home, shot the handyman, and ran from the scene. The homeowners were not injured.
Ten hours later, around 6:30 a.m., Florida Highway Patrol said an off-duty trooper was traveling on I-10 W near Lake City when he saw a man running on I-10 with a small flashlight. A short distance away, the trooper spotted a disabled Mini Cooper with its hazard lights flashing on the shoulder and turned around to assist.
Troop G CIU arrests murder suspect! Great job Trooper! https://t.co/Re2Ne2sld7 pic.twitter.com/mYry3Sw7Ok
— FHPJacksonville (@FHPJacksonville) October 29, 2021
In an FHP report, the trooper decided to detain the man after making contact because his behavior was “extremely erratic.”
The suspect was identified as 45-year-old Miguel Felix Hernandez of Hillsborough.
The trooper said Hernandez was talking with someone throughout their exchange but no one else was at the scene. When asked, Hernandez told the trooper he was speaking to “his friend.”
FHP said troopers soon determined both Hernandez and the Mini Cooper were linked to the Miami murder and he was placed under arrest.
The off-duty trooper later learned that another trooper had given Hernandez gas for his car about two hours earlier.
View photos of his arrest here.
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