Two close friends of Dalianis Lazo, the 41-year-old Cuban who remains hospitalized after being shot multiple times by her ex-partner in southwest Miami-Dade, spoke exclusively with Telemundo 51 about what happened.
Alejandro Vergara and Luis Alejandro Rodríguez have known Lazo —whom they affectionately call "Dali"— since the three of them studied together at the Lenin Vocational School in Havana.
"She is a very family-oriented woman, very cheerful, always full of zest for life, with a spectacular sense of humor, and a very intelligent girl," Vergara expressed.
For his part, Rodríguez recalled that both he and his family knew and even interacted with Iván Granado, Lazo's ex-partner who attacked her before taking his own life. "I never really imagined that Iván, the ex, would be capable of this, that he would do something like what he did," he stated.
Rodríguez was able to visit her friend at Jackson South Hospital, where she was transferred in critical condition after the attack, and noted that she was stable.
According to the investigation, Iván, 53 years old and also originally from Cuba, arrived by bicycle at Lazo's home in the Country Walk neighborhood, entered through the garage, had an argument with her, and shot her several times before taking his own life with the same weapon. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two friends of the woman, who was six to eight weeks pregnant at the time of the attack, did not receive the legal protection they requested from the courts.
Vergara openly expressed his frustration: "As we discover more information, it becomes increasingly painful to know that the system has failed him in some way."
Judicial records, according to a report by Local 10, reveal that in April, Lazo filed a petition for a protective order for domestic violence against Granado, whom she described as her "live-in ex-boyfriend."
In that application, he alerted to ongoing threats, harassment, coercion, and intimidation, noting that he owned a firearm, had served in the United States Army, abused alcohol and cocaine, and had been without stable employment for more than two years. In a sworn statement, he wrote: "I fear for my life and for my parents' safety."
A temporary order was issued and extended several times. In August, the woman requested to extend it again, claiming that she feared Granado's behavior could worsen.
Nevertheless, on September 30, Circuit Judge Michaelle Gonzalez-Paulson closed the case due to "lack of just cause" and "insufficiency of evidence," after Granado denied the allegations. With the protective order lifted, there were no legal restrictions on contact between the two.
Relatives of the victim have launched a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe, titled "United for Dali Lazo's Fight for Life," to help cover hospitalization expenses during her recovery.
A similar case shook the Cuban community in Miami last June, when Heydi Morales suffered a brutal attack from her ex-partner, who assaulted her with a knife 34 times. The woman survived.
Those who suffer or know someone who suffers from domestic violence can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or by sending a text message with the word LOVEIS to 22522.
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