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The story of a 63-year-old Cuban mother who allegedly shot her son during a domestic dispute in Hialeah Gardens continues to unfold with more details as the judicial investigations progress.
Grisel Pérez remains in custody without the right to bail, accused of a serious charge of domestic violence involving a firearm, while her son Joel Pineda, 36 years old, remains hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
A Sunday marked by chaos
The incident took place on Sunday, November 23, at the intersection of NW 88 Avenue and NW 113 Street, in Miami-Dade County.
According to the official report, the Fire Department received an emergency call alerting them to a possible shooting.
Upon arriving at the residence, rescuers found Joel Pineda with a bullet wound in his abdomen and proceeded to transport him by helicopter to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he remains in serious but stable condition.
The version by Grisel Pérez
According to the arrest report - cited by the local press - Pérez told the officers from the Hialeah Gardens Police Department that her son had arrived at the house earlier that day, and she let him in.
Shortly after, he noticed that “he was behaving strangely, as if he were under the influence of drugs.”
While sitting on the living room sofa, Pineda would have pulled out a .38 caliber revolver and fired at a decorative glass fireplace.
The atmosphere became tense. Mother and son argued, and Pérez demanded that he leave.
According to his account, he became enraged, started breaking furniture, and pulled the gun out of his pocket again. Then he went out to the backyard and fired a second shot into the ground.
Fearing for her safety, the woman went to her bedroom, grabbed her own gun, and confronted him again.
He demanded again that she leave the place. At some point during the confrontation, Pérez shot his son and immediately called 911.
Video evidence and seized weapons
The investigators found two firearms at the scene: Joel Pineda's revolver and the pistol used by the mother.
Furthermore, they seized images captured by an interior security camera, located at a sliding glass door, right in front of the area where the incident occurred.
The agent in charge of the case noted that the recordings, reviewed directly from the defendant's phone, "support her story", in relation to the sequence of events described by Pérez.
A family history with a background of violence
This would not be the first incident of tension between mother and son. Court documents reveal that in January 2020, Grisel Pérez requested a protection order for domestic violence against Joel Pineda.
While the specific details of that request are not known, the background confirms that the relationship between the two had a history of conflict.
Neighbors and relatives recalled that episode after learning about the shooting.
“I feel devastated; it’s a really terrible situation,” stated Elizabeth Brito, who identified herself as the cousin of Grisel Pérez.
The family insisted that the mother may have acted in self-defense and confirmed that the son had previously had issues with drugs.
Legal situation: No bail allowed
Following her arrest, Grisel Pérez was admitted to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGKCC), where she remains in custody. Her official record identifies her under inmate number 250164963 and lists the main charge as:
"Aggravated assault causing bodily harm, using a firearm in the context of domestic violence."
(BATTERY / AGGRAVATED / BODILY HARM / WEAPON / FIREARM - DOMESTIC VIOL).
At the initial hearing before the court on Monday, November 24, the judge in the case denied bail and appointed a public defender.
At the moment, no new public hearing has been scheduled for the review of the precautionary measure or possible update of the charge. The file is marked with the annotation "TO BE SET."
The case has shocked the Hialeah Gardens community not only because of the act itself but also due to the familial and emotional background.
To what extent did Grisel Pérez feel that her life was in danger? What role will the security videos play in the defense? Was it a desperate act of legitimate self-defense or an excessive use of force?
The reality is that a mother is behind bars, a son is seriously injured, and the case promises to reveal more details in the coming days.
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