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MIAMI (AP) — Police fatally shot a woman Tuesday afternoon while trying to evict her from a South Florida apartment, authorities said.
The shooting occurred as a task force was serving an eviction warrant at a downtown Miami building, Miami-Dade County Police Director Freddy Ramirez said during a news conference.
The woman had been living on the top floor of the Brickell First Apartments, officials said. As the team breached the door, the woman fired at police, and at least one officer returned fire, authorities said. The woman was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
"We created the task force for the sheer number of evictions that are going on right now," Ramirez said. "For those who are in these residences, it's a very touchy situation, a very dangerous situation for my officers. We take all the proper precautions to ensure safety, but unfortunately, this is one of the scenarios that we always worry about."
Officials didn't release the names or races of the woman who was shot or the officers involved.
Miami-Dade County recently began processing evictions filed during the COVID-19 pandemic after a yearlong moratorium, the Miami Herald reported. Landlords had challenged the moratorium in court, arguing that it was unfair they weren't able to collect rent or evict tenants for more than a year.
A federal moratorium enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention remains in effect for some evictions. It bars judges from issuing eviction orders against a tenant who made less than $100,000 in 2020, is making partial rent payments if possible and likely will be homeless if evicted.
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