Days after murders in two South Florida cities, police in the city of Cocoa in Brevard County arrested a man who investigators say is the person of interest in both shootings. Police say he also shot someone in Cocoa hours after leaving South Florida.
The mother of 35-year-old Joshua Nelson, who was one of the men killed, spoke to NBC6 on Wednesday.
Dondrey Nelson said she and Joshua talked about everything.
“That’s my football, basketball, politics buddy,” Nelson said.
Her son had five children of his own, was intelligent and got along well with everybody.
“My son had a good heart, and we got along very well,” Nelson said.
A suspect accused of killing a father of six in Miami Gardens and who was allegedly involved in two more shootings in Florida has been arrested, police said.
She said they were both home in North Miami last Friday – she was inside and her son was outside washing the car. She heard gunshots and her son calling for his mother.
“I heard him running, and he called, ‘Ma,’ and I ran to the back door, and I said come in the house, Josh, and I didn’t hear any more gunshots, and I peeked outside, and he was laying in the backyard gasping for air,” Nelson said.
She performed CPR on her son, ran inside to 911 and ran back outside.
“I said, take mommy’s breath, I rather had given him my breath and let me go and let him stay,” Nelson said.
She said her son died in their backyard.
That same day, not far from their home, Miami Gardens Police said they found Gabriel Floyd Hubbert shot several times outside his home. He later died.
Hubbert’s family members said singing with his church choir was one of the many things that brought the husband and father of six joy.
“You would never think of anything like that happening to him,” a relative said. “This was somebody that everybody loved.”
Hours after the murder in Miami Gardens and the murder in North Miami, police arrested Dennard Barnes in the city of Cocoa, several hours away.
Brevard County Sheriff’s OfficeBrevard County Sheriff’s Office
Dennard Isaiah Barnes
Detectives said he is the person of interest in both South Florida murders and a shooting in Cocoa later that night.
Nelson said Barnes was one of her son’s best friends.
“Done sat at my table and ate,” Nelson said. “Why was that the decision that you made? It could have been other decisions that you made.”
On Saturday, detectives in Cocoa told Miami Gardens detectives that they found Barnes’ van in their city. The same van was seen on surveillance video driving by Hubbert’s home minutes before the shooting, and the suspect vehicle in North Miami. It’s also the same van that Nelson said she saw leaving her house.
Detectives said Barnes is known by all of the victims, but what led up to the crime spree is still a mystery.
“It had to be something demonic, mental to take it to another level,” Nelson said.
Nelson said she’s at peace. She thinks about all the good times and the laughs she shared with her son.
“I’m upset that he interrupted and affected so many lives,” Nelson said.
Barnes is in jail in Brevard County.