Two men fight in Miami Springs. One gets stabbed, the other gets shot in the buttocks.
Two men were charged with attempted murder after one was stabbed in the chest and the other shot in the buttocks, Miami Springs police said Tuesday.
Gerson A. Ferrer, 49, of Davie, was a house guest in a home in the 300 block of South Melrose Drive on June 28 when he became belligerent after drinking, police said. Near midnight, Ferrer started choking another guest, Michael W. Safreed, 62, of Miami Springs, and then put a knife to his throat.
A witness told police that Ferrer acted as if “he was hallucinating out of his mind,” when he squared off with Safreed and yelled, “I know who you are and know who sent you for me. You are the Greek.”
Ferrer was escorted outside, and the issue was thought to be over. But then Ferrer plunged a 6-inch paring knife into Safreed’s chest, police said.
Safreed hobbled to his truck, grabbed a 9 mm handgun from a camouflaged “armor of God” case and returned to the blood-soaked driveway where he opened fire on Ferrer, who was hit in the buttocks and leg with six or seven “full-metal jacket” bullets, police said.
The homeowner told police he did not call 911 “because the police are constantly responding to his home,” the report states. Miami Springs police said Friday they have responded to this location “13 times in the last two years.”
A neighbor enjoying a midnight smoke called 911 after she heard gunshots and watched a man stagger about the alley.
Both Ferrer and Safreed were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where each underwent emergency surgery, according to police.
About a month later, Safreed was charged with attempted second-degree murder and taken to county jail, county records show. He was released on Aug. 8 after posting a $25,000 bond.
“Although [Safreed] claimed he wasn’t trying to kill [Ferrer], and claimed he feared for his life, [Safreed] removed himself from eminent danger when he walked over to his vehicle,” the arrest report states. But Safreed returned to the driveway and shot Ferrer.
Last Friday, charges against Safreed were dropped, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
“The victim [Ferrer] provided an inconsistent statement that denies any stabbing and did not discuss the defendant [Safreed] even retrieving the gun from his car,” wrote Assistant State Attorney Shawn Abuhoff in an Aug. 26 close-out memo. “He [Ferrer] also lied to police the first two times they spoke to him and made up some road rage incident that resulted in him being shot.”
Ferrer was charged with attempted second-degree murder and taken to county jail. He was released on Aug. 4 after posting a $25,000 bond.
If you have any information on this incident, call Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. You can remain anonymous and you may be eligible for a reward.
