Criminal arrested in connection with shooting and arson at Temple Court Apartments – NBC 6 South Florida

A man arrested for allegedly starting a historic fire and shooting a building employee was identified by witnesses as “the one from 307,” leading to his arrest on Monday, police said.

Juan Francisco Figueroa, 73, is a convicted felon charged with attempted murder, arson and possession of a firearm, according to arrest reports filed by the City of Miami Police.

Figueroa’s arrest reports say police found 30-year-old Feder Biotte outside the building with a gunshot wound during a fire at the Temple Court Apartments at 431 Northwest 3rd Street.

When officers arrived, two residents were on scene and described what they saw.

One witness said he heard shots from his apartment, and when he went outside he saw the victim lying on the first floor of the building.

“Mr. Biotte said in Spanish “307, he of 307″ as the witness attempted to administer first aid,” the arrest report details. One of the men, but it is unclear who, also said he saw an explosion after hearing shots.

The second witness said he heard loud noises while coming down the stairwell, and when he came out, he saw a man running past him and leaving the building. The fleeing man was again described as “a resident of apartment no. 307,” police said.

According to the arrest report, police from the Tactical Assault Unit began searching for the suspect and his car, a maroon 2008 Honda. They located the suspect vehicle around 1:45 p.m

Just after 3 p.m., officers spotted Figueroa walking nearby. He got into the car and police followed him until they stopped him at NW 2th Avenue and 28th Street, police said.

The officers handcuffed the suspect, who allegedly had a revolver and ammunition in his pocket.

When detectives tried to interview Figueroa several hours later, he allegedly spoke to them and said he “knew what he had done and expected to spend the rest of his life in prison,” arrest reports say.

Authorities said Figueroa is a convicted felon. In 1992, he was found guilty of second-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault.

It is still unclear how or why Figueroa started the fire and shot Biotte, an apartment building maintenance technician who has a 9-year-old son in Haiti.

On Monday morning, 43 people died in the Temple Court fire. Mayor Francis Suarez said 126 firefighters battled the flames for about eight hours, a historic response for the city’s fire department.