Man killed in Broward may have been shot while two children were home, friends say
A man was gunned down in Broward over the weekend. Loved ones identified the man as Arland Cata, a 44-year-old single father of two, whose children may have been home at the time of the the shooting.
Just before 11 p.m. Sunday, investigators found a man with gunshot wounds in the 500 block of Northwest 28th Court in Wilton Manors, according to a Broward Sheriff’s Office spokesperson. The man was taken to a nearby hospital but was declared dead.
Yelena Lovkina-Melomed, the owner of Klondike Fine Jewelry, confirmed in a Facebook post that her employee, known as “AC,” was the man shot to death.
Cata “was brutally murdered last night in front of his children,” Lovkina-Melomed said in her post. “He was a single father who was a sole provider and will be remembered as a kind soul.”
Igor Melomed, who said Cata worked for his company and “is well known in [the] industry,” started a GoFundMe page for his family on Monday. The fundraiser, which has a goal of $10,000, has raised close to $1,300 as of Tuesday afternoon.
“This a very tragic event for his family and the 2 children,” Melomed said. “Any donation will be highly appreciated and will go directly to his family.”
Friends told Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami that his 11-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son were at the Wilton Manors home at the time of the shooting.
“It’s very surprising because AC doesn’t carry himself like that,” friend Tamica told CBS News Miami. “He gets along with everybody. He’s very soft-spoken.”
Broward Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit detectives are investigating the shooting. Anyone with information should call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
