Man dies after shooting on Rickenbacker Causeway

A man riding a bicycle on the Rickenbacker Causeway where he was shot following a confrontation with a motorcyclist early Wednesday has died, Miami police said.

The incident happened about 6 a.m. and temporarily shut down the eastbound lanes of the bridge that carries traffic to Key Biscayne.

One man linked to the shooting was taken into police custody. The bicyclist, who was in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, died later Wednesday at the hospital, police announced shortly before 5 p.m.

The names of the man who was killed and the man in police custody have not been released.

“Somewhere during that exchange of words, shortly after, there was a gunshot fired, and there was an individual that was shot,” Miami Police Commander Freddie Cruz told reporters at the scene.

A Facebook video that has been taken down showed a motorcyclist riding along a group of cyclists on the causeway where the biker and a cyclist engaged in some type of argument.

Because of the shooting and investigation, the lanes of the William M. Powell Bridge leading to Key Biscayne were temporarily shut down during morning rush hour. Police redirected drivers to one of the bridge’s westbound lanes in order to travel to Key Biscayne. Southbound Interstate 95 drivers approaching the Key Biscayne exit also experienced significant delays. By 10:30 a.m., police reopened the roads.

The causeway, which is popular among cyclists and runners, has long been a flashpoint between drivers and cyclists. That has led to several accidents and fatalities over the years.

Lee Marks, who has been cycling on Key Biscayne since 1984, was on the scene Wednesday morning.

“This is terribly unfortunate,” he told WPLG-Ch. 10, noting that the cyclist was from his group. “I’ve never seen anything bad like this happen.”