Man shoots relative outside Hialeah hospital after his baby was born inside, cops say

Devoun Cetoute, Grethel Aguila
·2 min read
127

A joyous celebration of a newborn baby outside of Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah Tuesday night ended in bloodshed after the father of the child shot one of his relatives, police said.

“This is unbelievable,” Hialeah police spokesperson Lt. Eddie Rodriguez told the Miami Herald. “He just had a baby, and the first thing he does is shoot someone. So, he’s not going to be able to see his child grow up.”

Luis Martinez Rodriguez, 21, was charged with attempted second-degree murder. He is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Around 10:15 p.m., Martinez Rodriguez went into the hospital’s parking lot, 2001 W. 68th St., with a few family members after his girlfriend, Sheila Mena, had just given birth, an arrest report read.

In the company of his mother-in-law, his mother, relative Carlos Costa and another family member, they smoked and had an overall “good time.”

That is until Martinez Rodriguez pulled out a gun and shot Costa, 43, in front of the group. It is unclear what sparked the sudden violence, Rodriguez said.

“You just shot somebody in front of your future mother-in-law, and on the other hand, shot someone in front of your own mom,” Rodriguez said. “How disappointing could [he] possibly be?”

Costa ran into Palmetto General’s ER while Martinez Rodriguez fled as cops were called, police said.

Police officers locked down the hospital for a few minutes while they confirmed Martinez Rodriguez was not inside, Rodriguez said.

Shortly after the shooting, officers called Martinez Rodriguez. They convinced him to turn himself in.

“I think [officers] did a great job in deescalating the situation,” Rodriguez said. “They spoke to him for quite a while and were able to convince him to come back....It’s not only training but good experience on the detectives in that unit.”

Martinez Rodriguez could be facing 15 years in prison, Rodriguez said. Costa is related to Martinez Rodriguez and his girlfriend, but the exact relationship is unclear.

“It could have been a lot worse,” he said. “The best thing is that this man is in jail. He’s obviously a dangerous person.”