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Miami - An alleged drug deal gone bad ended in a gun battle that left the teenage son of a Miami-based Canadian diplomat dead and a younger son under arrest.
Germano Wabafiyebazu said on Wednesday his 17-year-old son, Jean, was killed when he went into a house to buy marijuana, and that police arrested his 15-year-old son, Marc. Wabafiyebazu was formerly married to the boys' mother, Canadian consul general Roxanne Dube.
The Miami Police Department would not comment on the shootings. The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office confirmed that another man, 19-year-old Anthony Rodriguez, was charged with second-degree murder and marijuana possession with intent to sell for his alleged role.
The Rodriguez arrest report says a second man was shot to death inside the house, but he was not identified. Prosecutors also said Rodriguez was wounded in the arm in the shootout.
Exchange of gunfire
The police report also quotes unidentified witnesses as saying Rodriguez brought two pounds of marijuana to the house and began to negotiate.
"During the negotiations, both deceased victims became involved in an exchange of gunfire," the report says.
In addition, Marc Wabafiyebazu faces charges of threatening a police officer while in custody, according to a separate police report. The boy is alleged to have said "he was going to kill [a detective] and that he would shoot him in the head".
That report also briefly refers to a gunfight in which Jean Wabafiyebazu was killed.
Germano Wabafiyebazu said his sons borrowed their mother's personal vehicle which has diplomatic license plates, to drive to the house but told their mother they were just going for a drive. He said he was told that Marc rushed into the house after hearing a gunshot.
The father spoke to The Associated Press from Ottawa on Wednesday. He said his ex-wife told him the details of the incident, which happened on Monday.
Diplomatic immunity
It was not clear whether Marc Wabafiyebazu would be charged as a juvenile or an adult. Authorities say he would not be protected by diplomatic immunity.
Rodriguez's court-appointed lawyer did not immediately respond to an email on Wednesday seeking comment, and it wasn't clear if Marc Wabafiyebazu had an attorney to comment on his behalf. Court records show that a judge approved Rodriguez's release from jail on $150 000 bail.
The house was still surrounded by crime scene tape on Wednesday and police evidence technicians were seen going in and out. A neighbour, Susan Salas, said she heard the gunfight.
"I heard what sounds like gunshots. I looked but I didn't see anything. I heard it again, pow, pow, pow," she said, adding that one male came out waving a gun, briefly appeared to point it at his head and then tossed it aside before officers arrested him.
Germano Wabafiyebazu said he and Dube were divorced a few years ago and that their son Jean struggled with substance abuse.
Dube just started her job as consul general in Miami in February. She was previously Canada's ambassador to Zimbabwe from 2005 to 2008 and also served as a staff member for a Canadian Liberal cabinet minister for more than a decade.
John Babcock, a spokesperson for Canada's Foreign Affairs Department, said they are aware of reports of a serious incident involving a Canadian family in Miami and that an investigation is underway.
