Two gunmen sought after shooting, home invasion

On a Miramar street snug along Florida’s Turnpike, purple paramedic gloves lay in the street where a man shot by two masked men was rushed to a hospital just before 1 a.m. Friday, police said.

Juan Zuleta was visiting two women who live in the 2600 block of Acapulco Dr. The trio were surprised by two men who entered the white and pink home through an unlocked back door and demanded money, police said.

Zuleta was shot, as was a family dog that was injured in its head. Firefighters took Zuleta to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood for injuries that were not lifethreatening, Detective Natasha Richardson said.

Detectives did not disclose what, if anything, was taken.

After sunrise, the home and neighbors’ properties were still ringed by yellow police tape, and the scene was being watched by two Miramar patrol officers.

At about 10 a.m., an employee from Broward County Animal Control walked the injured dog from the house to a truck for a trip to a clinic for treatment, according to Richardson.

Neighbor Maryann Chotos said her family has lived on the block for 59 years.

“It’s a pretty nice neighborhood,” Chotos said about the single-family homes, including her neighbor’s house that was invaded so violently. “I know them just to wave, not to talk to them.”

Another neighbor who was afraid to have her name published said the shooting was “not normal for the neighborhood. We have nice neighbors. [But] nothing surprises me anymore. The news is like this all the time.”

Miramar police ask anyone with information to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477. The organization accepts anonymous tips and pays up to $3,000 for information that leads to an arrest. It can also be contacted at broward crimestoppers.org.