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A dispute over dog poop between two dads on Father’s Day nearly turned deadly in Kendall. Omar Rodriguez, 66, faces charges of attempted second-degree murder after he shot Jose Rey after Rey’s dog attempted to poop on Rodriguez’s lawn.
The incident happened around 9:30 p.m. in the area of SW 97th Street and 103rd Avenue.
Rey, a father of two who also lives in the neighborhood, was walking his dog home when the animal squatted on Rodriguez’s lawn. Rodriguez then began yelling at Rey, and the two men got into an argument. Neighbors tell NBC Miami that Rodriguez has a reputation of being a crotchety and unfriendly neighbor.
“He did not like anyone walking on his sidewalk,” one neighbor told the station. “He considered it his. And if you walked by, you were able to become a victim of his aggressiveness.”
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Rodriguez claims he saw a shiny object in Rey’s hand, so he went to his car’s glove compartment and pulled out a gun. The two men continued arguing, and when Rodriguez claimed Rey appeared to be moving toward him, he fired twice, both shots hitting Rey.
When Rey’s wife arrived to help her husband, Rodriguez pointed the gun at her and threatened to shoot her too.
Police arrived at the scene, and Rey was rushed to Kendall Regional Medical Center. He has undergone two surgeries and is breathing on his own but remains in critical condition.
In addition to the murder charges, Rodriguez also faces a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
