NORTH MIAMI, Fla. — A father and his two sons were fatally shot during a neighbor dispute in North Miami, leading to murder charges against the alleged shooter, according to police.
The incident occurred on Monday afternoon at an apartment complex on Northeast 5th Avenue near 123rd Street, where 33-year-old Pierce Nelson Hoempler and his neighbor Hector Rivera were involved in a physical altercation, as stated in an arrest report.
During the confrontation, Hoempler reportedly pinned Rivera to the ground on the front lawn of the complex. Rivera’s sons, Jeremy and Frank, came to their father’s aid in response. However, Hoempler drew a semi-automatic pistol from his waistband and shot all three victims, according to the report.
Video footage captured by a neighbor’s Ring camera recorded the sound of multiple gunshots.
Hector and Jeremy Rivera were pronounced dead at the scene, while Frank Rivera was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Family member Cassandra Rivera arrived at the scene later and expressed her shock and grief.
“My cousin called my mom, and then we just rushed over here,” Rivera said. “Three people were shot; one’s my uncle, two are my cousins.”
The report did not disclose the reason behind the dispute but stated that Rivera and his sons were unarmed.
Police promptly arrived at the scene and detained Hoempler, who later refused to provide a statement at the police station. He was subsequently charged with three counts of second-degree murder and was held without bond after appearing in court.
Responding to the incident, North Miami Police Maj. Kessler Brooks expressed gratitude that the situation did not escalate further. “It was a busy area, a residential area, with kids and everyone around. We thank God that it wasn’t worse,” said Brooks.