Gunman Slain Near Miami Airport Suspected Of Gay Hate Crime

MIAMI, FL — The FBI has identified the gunman killed Thursday night in an exchange of gunfire with federal and local law enforcement officers as 40-year-old Alexander Carballido of Miami. Federal agents said Carballido had been suspected of a hate crime involving an earlier home invasion in which he could he heard on a surveillance video expressing his hatred for homosexuals while pointing a handgun at his victim.

Miami-Dade and Miami police said they recovered a high-powered rifle from the scene of the gun battle, which occurred near Miami International Airport shortly before 9 p.m. Witnesses reported hearing a flurry of rapid gunshots in the area of NW 7 Street and NW 72 Avenue.

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Only the gunman was struck, according to James Marshall of the FBI in Miami

Marshall said that Carballido was deemed an "imminent threat" to public safety as investigators searched for him in Southwest Miami-Dade County during the early evening on Thursday.

"Carballido was eventually located in a car nearby when a pursuit ensued," Marshall explained. "The pursuit ended at 72 Avenue and NW 7 Street where Carballido was fatally wounded."

As with all police shootings involving the Miami-Dade Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting an investigation.

Marshall added that investigators believe Carballido was acting under a belief that the victim of the home invasion was a homosexual.

Photo courtesy Miami Police Department