Miami Library Shooter Knew Intended Victim for 10 Years

MIAMI, FL — Police identified the man who walked into the Miami main library on Wednesday and opened fire as 64-year-old Roderick Oliver Veazey. He was charged with attempted second-degree murder after being shot in the torso by an off-duty Miami-Dade police officer while horrified patrons and employees scrambled for cover. The library is located at 101 Flagler Street.

Miami-Dade police said that Veazey had been quarreling with a man he had known for 10 years. The argument culminated in an armed showdown at the library at 10:31 a.m. Veazey's intended target was identified as 63-year-old Carl Cooperstein, who was not injured. (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Patch.)

"The defendant produced a firearm, pointed it at the victim and fired it at him," arrest documents state. "The victim was not struck and ran for his safety."

Police told Patch that Veazey was shot by Officer Saul Rodriguez, a 17-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department, when Veazey attempted to follow Cooperstein. The uniformed officer was working an off-duty security detail at the library.

Detective Alvaro Zabaleta of the Miami-Dade Police Department stressed that Veazey did not appear to be attempting to carry out any kind of mass shooting though he said the library activated its active shooter response plan.

"This was not an act of random violence. This was more of an isolated incident, more of a targeted person," Zabaleta told reporters on Wednesday (watch video below). "As they continue to gather information from the multiple people that they have to interview, we're learning more that this was an altercation that began several days back amongst two individuals and everything culminated here inside of the library."

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Miami-Dade and city of Miami police converged on the two-story building on Wednesday after early reports suggested there might have been multiple shooting victims.

Zabaleta praised the response by Rodriguez for containing the situation.

"He acted so calmly, and so smoothly and tactfully that he was able to engage that subject without putting anybody else in danger and neutralizing that threat," said Zabaleta. "He did in turn save lives today."

An announcement on the library's phone system told callers that the facility would be closed for the rest of the day "due to an emergency." The library initially planned to reopen on Thursday but later opted to remain closed until Friday.

Police said that they were in the process of interviewing 40 to 50 potential witnesses.

Since the shooting involved a Miami-Dade police officer, the incident is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The officer who shot the suspect has the option of taking three days off and receiving counseling.

The library was not equipped with metal detectors.

Veazey was taken to Ryder Trauma Center of Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Watch below as Detective Alvaro Zabaleta briefs reporters:

Photo of Roderick Oliver Veazey