Victim's godfather speaks out after shooting and massive fire at Miami apartment – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

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MIAMI (WSVN) – Reynold Romeous couldn't believe it when he learned his godson, Feder-One Biotte, 30, had been shot and killed while working as a maintenance worker at the Temple Court Apartments in Miami.

“That really shocked me. Because I never heard that he had a problem with anyone. He is a very nice man. He loves his family. And that hurt me a lot,” Romeous said. “By the way, I call him son. He's, you know, my godson. They said, 'Your son got shot.' I said, “How did this happen?”

The shocking news came after a massive three-alarm fire broke out in the building around 8:30 a.m. Monday. Miami firefighters arrived and found Biotte suffering from a gunshot wound on the roof of the burning building.

“They did the operation. They took the bullet out of his stomach,” Romeous added.

Biotte was rescued from the roof and is expected to recover. However, he was far from the only one in need of saving.

“We also had several people trapped inside their homes. Some of them had to be evacuated through windows using ladders. Some were even taken into smoky hallways so we could get them out. Some have had to shelter in place due to their disabilities,” said City of Miami Fire Captain Ignatius Carroll.

Around 126 firefighters responded to the blaze, battling the blaze for 10 hours. Miami city firefighters shared videos of the response, showing flames and smoke coming from the roof and upper floors of the building, as well as people being guided through crowded streets.

“We were sleeping, then they told us to get up and go out because the building was on fire,” one resident said.

Three firefighters were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital due to heat exhaustion and are in stable condition. At least one resident was also treated for smoke inhalation.

As for the author of the shooting in Biotte, Mayor Francis Suarez confirmed: “We have in custody the suspect who fired the weapon and whom we suspect of having intentionally started the fire.”

Police arrested Juan Francisco Figueroa, 73. He is in jail facing criminal charges including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and attempted murder.

As a result of the fire, at least 40 displaced people are receiving housing assistance through the American Red Cross and assistance from Atlantic Housing Management, the property management company that owns the apartment complex.