A burst of gunfire at a North Miami apartment complex turned into an abduction investigation that stretched across Miami-Dade County and ended with a 22-year-old man found shot to death along a roadway.
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According to NBC 6 South Florida, investigators identified the victim as Eddrick Bethune after a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office captain discovered him around 7:25 a.m. Sunday, October 4, near Southwest 216th Street and 189th Avenue. Authorities said Bethune had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.The North Miami abduction began hours earlier at the Aliro Apartments, located at 14040 Biscayne Boulevard. Gunfire broke out around midnight before Bethune was taken from the apartment complex.
The case became even more disturbing as surveillance and cellphone videos began providing a clearer picture of what happened outside the building.
Newly released surveillance footage shows two men restraining a man before forcing him into the back seat of a silver sedan. The men appear to be wearing clothing with the word “police” displayed on the back, raising questions about whether they were attempting to impersonate law enforcement during the abduction.
WSVN reported that the footage shows the suspects driving away quickly after forcing the victim into the car, with one of the vehicle’s doors still swinging open. The station also reported that investigators found blood near a shattered apartment window and money scattered on the ground after North Miami Police arrived.
Video from the apartment complex captured additional chaos surrounding the shooting. According to WSVN, several men were recorded jumping from a broken third-floor window after residents heard gunfire. One person could be seen running through the parking area while cash scattered nearby. Investigators have not publicly confirmed that every person captured jumping from the window was involved in Bethune’s abduction.
NBC 6 South Florida also reported that cellphone footage showed people jumping several stories from the building after the shooting. One person dressed in black appeared to drop money while running from the scene. A second person, also dressed in black, jumped moments later before the group fled in a dark silver vehicle.
The North Miami abduction investigation quickly expanded far beyond the apartment complex.
A Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office captain found Bethune on the shoulder of the road near Southwest 216th Street and 189th Avenue later that morning. Authorities subsequently identified him as the man investigators believed had been taken from the North Miami apartment complex.
Detectives were also called to another scene near Southwest 248th Street and 157th Avenue, where investigators found a vehicle that had been intentionally set on fire, according to NBC 6. Authorities said the burned vehicle matched the one used by the people believed to be involved in Bethune’s abduction.
That discovery gave investigators at least three major locations connected to the case: the Aliro Apartments where the shooting and alleged kidnapping began, the South Miami-Dade roadway where Bethune was found, and the location where the vehicle was burned.
The distance between the scenes also shows how quickly the investigation expanded. WSVN reported that Bethune was found roughly 40 miles from the North Miami apartment complex where he had been taken.
Residents at the Aliro Apartments described a frightening scene as investigators worked through the aftermath.
Witnesses reported seeing two men wearing shirts marked “police” struggling with and beating a man before forcing him into the back of a vehicle. CBS reported at the time that authorities had not publicly confirmed whether the man those witnesses saw being forced into the vehicle was Bethune.
The violence and uncertainty also sparked concerns from residents about security at the complex. Neighbor Krups Kiyi told CBS News Miami that she planned to raise those concerns with apartment management.
“I’m going to speak with them because this is not safe,” Kiyi said.
The newer surveillance footage has now given investigators and the public a closer look at the people believed to have carried out the North Miami abduction. WSVN reported that authorities are asking for information that could help identify the men shown in the video.
Investigators have not publicly disclosed a suspected motive for Bethune’s abduction and killing. Authorities also have not publicly identified the men shown in the surveillance footage as of October 7.
No arrest had been announced in connection with Bethune’s death in the latest reports from CBS, NBC 6 and WSVN. Authorities have also not released the names of other people they believe may have been involved.
