MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (WSVN) —
A business owner tried to intervene and what happened next left a community in mourning.
A corner car wash that was once an institution in Miami Gardens is now a crime scene.
Police said the man behind the landmark business jumped in when two young men tried to rob one of his patrons Sunday afternoon. They shot Errol Peart dead in his own parking lot and took off running. “He tried to stop somebody from doing wrong,” said a woman who knew him, “and somebody killed him.”
Rescuers tried to bring Peart back to life, but he was already gone. “I can’t believe it,” said Tamika Smith. “I left from work coz I could not believe it.”
Peart was found dead in the middle of the community people said he kept alive. “That’s how he was,” said Smith. “He employed people that were having a hard time with employment, he employed them.”
“He was always there to help you,” said Lester Huggins. “If you had a criminal past, he was there for you.”
The crowd kept back by crime scene tape kept growing as word spread that the man called Kudi had been shot dead in broad daylight. “Everyone’s out here,” said Miguel Brown. “We just can’t believe what happened. We just had to come over. We were just here yesterday getting our cars washed.”
Friends said Peart was an international cricket player before he came to the United States from Jamaica. They also said his father, Dean is a high ranking minister in the Jamaican government.
Even police officers and detectives investigating the well-loved business man’s murder knew him before he was a victim. They too trusted him. “I don’t know if it’s just him,” said Miami Gardens Police Captain Ralph Suarez, “because of the person he was, but he’s like a landmark.”
Now they need everyone in the community to help them solve the shooting death of Errol Peart, someone so well-loved. “I’m sure somebody saw what happened today,” said Suarez. “I’m sure somebody was here, and if they left they might have seen something.”
If you have any information on the two men involved, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.
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