Left inset: Leonardo Amezcua (Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office). Right inset: The Rolex that Leonardo Amezcua was allegedly showing off to his shooting victim (Miami Beach Police/WSVN).
A Florida man who was “drinking champagne and conversing” with friends in his Miami Beach condo ended up shooting one of them while attempting to show off a Rolex and pistol he had in his possession, cops say.
Leonardo Amezcua, 52, is charged with culpable negligence and tampering with evidence in connection with the summer shooting incident, according to court records.
Video obtained this week by local Fox affiliate WSVN allegedly shows Amezcua trying to hawk his luxury Rolex watch in the early morning hours of July 19 after meeting up with the female victim at a local bar that she co-owns in Miami Beach and eating dinner with her.
As the night continued, the two of them met up with one of the victim’s friends and the pal’s husband at Amezcua’s condo inside the Mirador apartments on West Avenue sometime after 3 a.m., police say in the criminal complaint, which was viewed by Law&Crime on Wednesday. Amezcua, who was allegedly “intoxicated,” was talking about selling the watch when he decided to show off a pistol he owns as well, cops say.
“I know what that watch is,” a man can be heard saying on the video obtained by WSVN from Miami Beach Police.
“If it’s real, 150 minimum,” another man allegedly says.
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Authorities told WSVN that the conversation captured on video centered around the sale of the Rolex with the victim and guests. The group was “drinking champagne in the kitchen” and looking at the watch when Amezcua “said he had something cool to show them,” according to police, citing statements given by the female friend.
“He went into his bedroom and to the kitchen with what [the guest] described as a silver and black firearm,” the complaint says. “Suddenly, the firearm went off and [the friend] noticed the victim was shot. [The friend] left the apartment with her husband and the victim. Once they were away from the defendant [the friend] called police.”
Cops say they arrived at the scene at around 7:30 a.m. and found Amezcua locked inside his condo, refusing to come out. “Miami Beach police officers knocked on the defendant’s apartment door for approximately 30 minutes, requesting he come to the door,” the complaint alleges. “After those attempts were ignored, SWAT and HNT personnel were requested to assist,” it says.
Amezcua eventually surrendered at around 8:05 a.m., per police.
Investigators spoke to the female friend’s husband about what happened and he said that he “very adamantly stated that it was very negligent and reckless of [Amezcua] to handle a firearm while being intoxicated,” according to the complaint. “[The husband] took the firearm away from [Amezcua] and threw it toward the front door,” police allege.
The friend can be heard on video obtained by WSVN describing what she remembered seeing that night, telling cops, “Blood, blood, blood, blood.”
Amezcua is scheduled to go on trial for the incident and is slated to appear in court on Oct. 23, according to online records.
