2013 Hialeah shooting

the mass shooting at an apartment complex the mass shooting outside a banquet hall 2021 Hialeah shooting Mass shooting in Florida, U.S. December 2025 November 2018 2013 Hialeah shooting Miami-Dade County Florida Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Hialeah Highlighted.svg Location of Hialeah within Florida. 1485 West 46th Street, Hialeah, Florida, U.S. 25.86428 N 80.3109 W type:event_region:US-FL inline,title July 26–27, 2013 6:30 p.m. c. 2:30 a.m. Mass murder, massacre, arson, shootout, mass shooting 7 (including the perpetrator) 0 Pedro Alberto Vargas Glock 17 Gen 4 semi-automatic pistol https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/gunman-called-911-hours-before-shooting-rampage-in-hialeah-apartment-complex/1925922/?amp Gunman Called 911 Hours Before Shooting Rampage in Hialeah Apartment Complex NBC Miami July 31, 2013 July 31, 2013 UnknownZachary Fagenson https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shooting-miami-idUSBRE96Q06G20130729 Motive a mystery in Miami area mass shooting Reuters July 29, 2013 July 31, 2013 On July 26, 2013, a mass shooting occurred at the Todel Apartments, an apartment complex in Hialeah, a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Seven people, including the shooter, were killed in the incident. The shooter was identified by police as 42-year-old Pedro Alberto Vargas, a resident of Hialeah, who, after setting his apartment ablaze, opened fire from his balcony and inside the apartment, then held two people hostage before being fatally shot by a SWAT team in the early hours of July 27. Events Prior to the shooting At 1:37 p.m., hours before the shooting started, Vargas called 9-1-1 and reported he was being followed, asking the dispatcher to run the license plate of a vehicle parked outside his apartment. He also claimed he was being threatened by people using witchcraft on him. His mother, 83-year-old Esperanza Patterson, then took the phone and told the dispatcher about her son's strange behavior. The dispatcher informed Patterson that police units have been sent to her residence, but Patterson advised against it, and later informed the dispatcher that Vargas had left, having gone to the office of a lawyer he hired for a recent legal matter.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/31/hialeah-shooting_n_3683750.html Hialeah Shooting: Pedro Vargas Called 911 Before Killing 6 In Florida Apartment Complex (VIDEO) Huffington Post July 31, 2013 May 25, 2015 Shooting According to officials, Vargas poured combustible liquid on $10,000 in cash and set it on fire in his apartment unit at around 6:30 p.m.Litz, Steve Finch, Justin DoCampo, Claudia Shooter Set $10,000 on Fire in Hialeah Shooting Rampage http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Active-Shooter-Scene-in-Hialeah-Authorities-217179121.html NBC Miami July 28, 2013 July 28, 2013Armario, Christine http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/27/florida-shooting-hialeah_n_3663022.html Florida Shooting: 7 Dead In Hialeah Apartment Shootout, Including Gunman (VIDEO, PHOTOS) Huffington Post July 27, 2013 July 28, 2013 The Todel Apartments' manager, 79-year-old Italo Pisciotti, and his 69-year-old wife Samira noticed the smoke and ran to the apartment. Vargas stepped into the hallway and opened fire with a Glock 17 9mm semiautomatic pistol, killing both.Diaz, Alan http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/gunman-holding-hostages-fla-apartment-complex-kills-article-1.1410485 Florida hostage standoff: Man sets fire to Hialeah apartment complex killing six while holding two others at gunpoint New York Daily News July 27, 2013 July 28, 2013Litz, Steve Finch, Justin DoCampo, Claudia http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Active-Shooter-Scene-in-Hialeah-Authorities-217179121.html Shooter Set $10,000 on Fire in Hialeah Shooting Rampage NBC Miami July 27, 2013 July 28, 2013Mueller, Benjamin http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-florida-gunman-hialeah-20130727,0,6627145.story Gunman in Florida apartment shooting lived in building, started fire Los Angeles Times July 27, 2013 July 28, 2013 He proceeded to go to his balcony on the fourth floor of the building and fired 10 to 20 bullets into the street, fatally hitting 33-year-old Carlos Gavilanes as he got out of his car. Vargas then kicked open the door of apartment 304, where he shot and killed the residents, 64-year-old Patricio Simono, his 51-year-old wife Merly Niebels, and their 17-year-old daughter Priscilla Perez.Mazzei, Patricia http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/27/v-fullstory/3526078/a-look-at-the-victims-in-the-hialeah.html Hialeah shooting victims' families grapple with senseless loss Miami Herald July 27, 2013 July 28, 2013https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pedro-vargas-idd-as-gunman-behind-deadly-rampage-in-hialeah-florida/ Pedro Vargas ID'd as gunman behind deadly rampage in Hialeah, Florida CBS News July 27, 2013 July 28, 2013 Police officers responded to the scene and exchanged gunfire with Vargas throughout the complex's stairwells for about five hours.Christine Armario https://news.yahoo.com/fla-apartment-gunman-described-lonely-angry-210248933.html Fla. apartment gunman described as lonely, angry Yahoo! News July 28, 2013 July 31, 2013 Vargas then entered apartment 525, where he took the residents, Zoeb and Farida Nek, hostage for about three hours. During the standoff, he continued firing shots at officers outside. After negotiations reportedly broke down, authorities decided to send in a six-officer SWAT team to rescue the hostages. The team entered the building and found the two hostages praying in the living room, while Vargas was pacing around out of their view. Officers outside distracted Vargas with a stun grenade, allowing the SWAT team to rescue the hostages and open fire on Vargas, who they gunned down after a brief shootout. Both hostages escaped unharmed. Two fully loaded magazines were found at the scene.http://www.miamiherald.com/news/special-reports/hialeah-mass-shooting/article1953652.html Hialeah police chief details tense moments of hostage rescue The Miami Herald July 28, 2013 May 25, 2015Armario, Christine https://news.yahoo.com/neighbors-describe-different-sides-fla-gunman-080921330.html Neighbors describe different sides of Fla. gunman Yahoo! News July 28, 2013 July 28, 2013 The event was the deadliest mass shooting in Hialeah's history,https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pedro-vargas-idd-as-gunman-behind-deadly-rampage-in-hialeah-florida/ Pedro Vargas ID'd as gunman behind deadly rampage in Hialeah, Florida CBS News July 27, 2013 July 28, 2013 as well as the deadliest in the entire Miami area in three decades.Kevin Gray https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shooting-miami-idUSBRE96T13M20130730 Miami gunman downloaded computer files on explosives, sex Reuters July 30, 2013 July 31, 2013 Victims Italo Pisciotti, 79 (building manager, killed in a hallway) Samira Pisciotti, 69 (wife of Italo Pisciotti, killed in a hallway) Carlos Javier Gavilanes, 33 (killed on the street) Patricio Simono, 64 (killed in apartment 304) Merly S. Niebles, 51 (wife of Patricio Simono, killed in apartment 304) Priscilla Perez, 17 (daughter of Merly Niebles and stepdaughter of Patricio Simon, killed in apartment 304) Perpetrator thumb|upright=0.7|Pedro Alberto Vargas Pedro Alberto Vargas (October 3, 1970http://www.miamiherald.com/news/special-reports/hialeah-mass-shooting/article1953794.html Hialeah killer showed signs of trouble before mass shooting The Miami Herald August 3, 2013 May 25, 2015 – July 27, 2013), a Cuban native, was identified as the shooter. He was born in Havana to teacher parents. His father died in 1991 or 1992. Vargas studied at the University of Pedagogical Sciences between 1990 and 1994, graduating with a bachelor's degree in technical education. He and his mother, Esperanza Patterson, immigrated to the U.S. in the mid-1990s after winning U.S. visa lotteries, and Vargas was naturalized in 2004. According to records, he resided in apartment 408 with Patterson since 1999 and had committed no serious criminal offenses.http://www.arcinfo.ch/fr/monde/sept-personnes-tuees-dans-une-fusillade-577-1204985 7 personnes tuées dans une fusillade en Floride ArcInfo July 28, 2013 July 28, 2013 French He took classes at Miami Dade College, graduating in 2004 with an associate degree in graphic design. Neighbors described Vargas as a quiet man who commonly got into arguments with his mother in their apartment.Armario, Christine http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/28/pedro-vargas-florida-apartment-shooting_n_3666380.html Pedro Vargas, Florida Apartment Shooting Gunman, Had Different Sides, Neighbors Say (PHOTOS, VIDEO) Huffington Post July 27, 2013 July 28, 2013 According to several LA Fitness customers, Vargas frequented the local gym and often lifted weights as a way to channel out pent-up anger. He also used steroids, which he later blamed for his hair loss, and expressed frustration at bad experiences with women. The Glock 9mm pistol used in the shooting was legally purchased by Vargas in October 2010 from Florida Gun Center, a local gun shop, and he had a concealed carry permit for it. Professional problems He worked at the media services department at Miami Dade College's North Campus starting in 2004,http://www.miamiherald.com/news/special-reports/hialeah-mass-shooting/article1953676.html A glimpse into the life of the Hialeah shooter The Miami Herald July 29, 2013 May 25, 2015 and although his initial performance evaluations judged him positively, they began noting a lack of social skills. Vargas was eventually forced to resign in 2008 after the school found he downloaded inappropriate files, including a computer hacking tutorial from The Anarchist Cookbook. Several months afterward, Miami Dade College received anonymous online threats that were traced to a public library in Hialeah, though Vargas was suspected of being the sender. Vargas later found employment at a Miami company as a graphic designer, but was fired after three months. Like Miami Dade College, the company later received anonymous threats and Vargas was suspected, but not confirmed as the sender. Prior to the shooting, Vargas had been working as a graphic design artist for Bullet Line, a promotional company, from May to October 2012. A week following his dismissal from the company, he began sending "abusive emails and text messages" to Bullet Line. Regarding these messages, he began seeing an attorney, Angel Castillo, Jr. Vargas initially denied sending the messages but later admitted to being the sender after being informed by the lawyer that he was possibly committing perjury. On the day of the shooting, after making the 9-1-1 call, Vargas had gone to Castillo's office and demanded to see him, only to learn he was not there at the time. According to a relative of his mother, Vargas feared losing his money due to the case. Reaction Following the incident, Mayor Carlos Hernández responded, "I'm torn apart. We've never had something so complex as we had last night.... It's an extremely sad day in Hialeah." In the wake of the shooting, some citizens of Hialeah took to Twitter to express their concerns about safety in the city.https://twitter.com/search/realtime?q=%23hialeahshooting&src=hash #HialeahShooting Twitter Trend Twitter July 28, 2013 On July 28, 2013, Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit organization that was formed in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, issued a statement about the shooting, saying, "Our hearts are broken. Our spirit is not. Sending prayers and condolences to the victims and families of the Hialeah, Florida mass shooting."http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2013/07/a-message-from-newtown-to-hialeah-in-wake-of-mass-shooting-our-hearts-are-broken.html A message from Newtown to Hialeah in wake of mass shooting: 'Our hearts are broken' Miami Herald July 28, 2013 July 28, 2013 See also 2021 Hialeah shooting List of rampage killers in the United States Carol City murders References Category:2010s crimes in Florida Category:2013 fires in the United States Category:2013 in Florida Category:2013 mass shootings in the United States Category:2013 murders in the United States Category:Arson in 2013 Category:Arson in Florida Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in 2013 Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in Florida Category:Family murders in the United States Category:History of Hialeah, Florida Category:Hostage taking in the United States Category:July 2013 crimes in the United States Category:2013 mass murders Category:Mass murders in Florida Category:2010s mass murders in the United States Category:Mass shootings in Florida Category:Mass shootings involving semi-automatic pistols in the United States Category:Residential building arson attacks in the United States