Decatur Man Charged With Firing Stolen Gun In Miami Beach

DECATUR, GA — Despite its close proximity, Miami Beach police said there was no connection between shots reportedly fired by a Decatur man over the weekend and the Florida city's Gay Pride Week festivities. Turnel Titus Farley, 31, of the 3200 block of Conley Downs Drive in Decatur, was detained on Friday night shortly after the 9 p.m. incident and later charged with attempting to flee police, child neglect and weapons offenses.

Miami Beach police said at least one witness saw Farley fire a handgun from a Chevrolet Silverado parked at 10 Street and Ocean Drive. Authorities said that Farley also had a juvenile in the backseat of the vehicle when police stopped him.

The incident came as the city was gearing up for a number of Gay Pride Week festivities just one block north of the reported shooting. No one was injured.

"The event had nothing to do with Gay Pride weekend," Ernesto Rodriguez of the Miami Beach Police Department told Patch on Monday.

Police said Farley twice refused to stop when he was first spotted in the 100 block of 8 Street.

"A subject vehicle was stopped minutes later along the 900 block of Collins Avenue," Ernesto Rodriguez of the Miami Beach Police Department told Patch at the time of the incident.

A witness told police that he saw Farley fire the handgun into the air while the Silverado was parked along the shoulder not far from the Ocean's Ten Restaurant. The business is located at 960 Ocean Drive.

Police said Farley's fiancee and another person were standing outside on the passenger side of the vehicle when the gun was fired.

Miami Police said they found a silver and black handgun stuffed in Farley's underwear. The gun had been reported stolen in DeKalb County. Arrest documents said that Farley is prohibited from carrying a firearm based on a prior criminal history in Georgia.

—Story by Miami Editor By Paul Scicchitano

»Photo of Turnel Farley, courtesy of Miami Beach police