The Hialeah Police have released a shocking surveillance video showing the moment Pedro de Jesús Blanco, 55 years old, fatally shoots Yoendry Campos, a 33-year-old Cuban who was visiting an apartment in the building where the crime took place.
Although the incident took place on May 13th, the images are now coming to light as part of the judicial process against the accused, who faces first-degree murder charges.
The images clearly show how Blanco takes the shot with complete coldness; and how after shooting, he even stops to collect the shell casing before returning to his apartment.
The video was crucial for their immediate identification and arrest by the authorities.
A gunshot following a neighborhood dispute
The shooting occurred in an apartment complex located at the corner of 9th Street and 7th Avenue, specifically at 710 E 9th Street in Hialeah.
According to the police report -quoted by the local press- Campos was in unit 202 on a visit, while the alleged attacker resided in unit 201, right next door.
The authorities have indicated that the incident was the result of a neighborhood dispute, apparently stemming from a parking spot.
Family members of the victim have reported that Campos was murdered after parking his car in a space that the now perpetrator claimed as his own.
According to the arrest report, Blanco knocked on the apartment door while carrying a weapon wrapped in a plastic bag.
After a brief verbal exchange, he momentarily stepped away and then returned to fire a single shot that hit Campos in the left side of the torso, which proved to be fatal.
"He asks the victim a question, and at that moment he pulls out the firearm and shoots him", declared police spokesperson Eddie Rodríguez to Telemundo 51.
Shortly after, the officers arrived at the scene and proceeded to arrest the suspect, who did not resist.
During the search of his home, the police found the murder weapon and a bullet casing in a kitchen trash can.
During the court hearing held the day after the crime, Judge Mindy S. Glazer of Miami-Dade County, ordered the preventive detention of the accused without the right to bail.
The start of his trial is scheduled for September. If found guilty, Pedro de Jesús Blanco could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Campos, affectionately known as "Gaspacho," had emigrated from Havana to the U.S. seven years ago. He was the father of a young girl and, according to those close to him, was known for being a hardworking, sociable man with no history of legal conflicts.
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