A Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer employee was shot by Nathan J. Cooper, 37, in the West Little River neighborhood at approximately 4 p.m. in the area of Northwest 84th Street and Fourth Avenue. The victim, identified as Shawn, remains hospitalized at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center following the shooting that occurred in front of children. Police have identified Cooper as the suspect and consider him armed and dangerous.
“My son just basically came home from work,” said Clarice Webster, the victim’s mother. “He literally was still in his work clothes.” Webster visited her son at the trauma center and confirmed his condition, stating “He’s fine right now.” The shooting stemmed from a dispute involving children that had been ongoing for several months.
“The guy basically came to his house being disrespectful to his child and wife,” said Webster. “They got into an altercation and the guy shot my son. In point blank range in front of his children with his child standing next to him.” Doorbell video obtained by Local 10 News shows children running away around the same time the shooting occurred, and investigators learned there was a dispute between children before the gunfire.
“My grandchildren, they witnessed their father being shot,” she said. Webster expressed frustration about the escalation of what began as a children’s dispute. “How are we supposed to teach these kids to be peaceful and tell someone, if even after telling someone it still escalated to this,” she said. The incident highlights ongoing neighborhood tensions that had been building for months before turning violent.
Officers are actively searching for Cooper throughout Miami-Dade County. Anyone with information on Cooper’s whereabouts is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. The investigation remains ongoing as police work to locate the suspect who fled the scene after the shooting.