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Two Dead in Police Grow House Shootout in Miami

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #772)
Consequences of Prohibition
Drug War Issues

Two people are dead and one man is under arrest after a Miami-Dade Police investigation into a possible marijuana grow house Tuesday evening turned into a sustained gun battle. Dell Peter DiGiovanni, 50, and (presumably -- see below) Michael DiGiovanni, 28, become the 4th and 5th persons to die in US domestic drug law operations so far this year.

According to CBS 4 News in Miami, Miami-Dade Police went to a home shared by the DiGiovannis and 29-year-old Brian Hall around 7:00pm Tuesday as part of "a narcotics investigation" and were met by gunfire.

"As they approached the door the subjects inside the house opened fire on the detectives," said Miami-Dade police spokesman Det. Alvaro Zabaleta." They immediately returned fire and three of the subjects were able to flee on foot."

While Zabaleta described the officers as detectives, it is not clear if they were in plain clothes.

A shootout estimated at 30 minutes long then took place, during which the residence shared by the three men caught fire. Police were able to arrest Hall Tuesday night, but were unable to search the house that night because of the fire. A body believed to be that of Michael DiGiovanni was found inside the house Wednesday.

Then, Wednesday afternoon, police reported that they had found the body of Dell Peter DiGiovanni hanging from a tree in front of home in the neighborhood. They said he had apparently committed suicide.

Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

Uncle Bob (not verified)

Legalization takes the power away from these criminals who would open fire on the police, and gives it to legitimate businesses.. take marijuana and other drugs out of the black market, and take the profit away from cartels, gangs, and violent criminals.. lock it up all nice and tidy in a legitimate business with strict oversight and regulations, and then tax the hell out of it... and end this violence once and for all.

Thu, 02/21/2013 - 1:25pm Permalink
deepthought (not verified)

Deaths over booze dropped a lot after alcohol prohibition ended. Both from less poisoned product and less gang warfare over booze sales. The same will happen with drug legalization. It won't end cartels like legalized beer didn't end the mafia, but they will just lose a major income stream of money. Money that will stay in people's pockets or flow to merchant jobs and tax revenues. Health risks for the entire nation will be improved by ending the war on drugs and police/courts/jails freed to reduce criminal activity.

The right not to be punished for altering the mental state with "non approved drugs" is fundamental to a free society. IE Control of what goes on only in my mind cannot be made illegal or punished in a true democracy, and those drug warriors who try.........they are the true criminals.

Thu, 02/21/2013 - 7:07pm Permalink
kickback (not verified)

I`m sure that Tubbs and Crocket could have done a much better job than this . The local teen metalhead was probably blasting his favorite OverKill album while texting the news to his friends . Where is that white Ferrari when you need it ? 

Fri, 02/22/2013 - 12:04am Permalink
Finnman (not verified)

        So this is what we've come to-just burn the Mofos down. I guess its true that the latest trends always start in California. Does this mean we don't need the SWAT teams anymore and that only firestarters need apply. It gives the term "Arson Squad" a whole new meaning.  

Fri, 02/22/2013 - 6:34pm Permalink
kickback (not verified)

Gun violence is a given during times of prohibition of things desired by the people . Guns take over the place of Cops and the Courts . This " drug gang gun violence " garbage is a tool used by Politicians , of the many tools they have , as a means to disarm the general public . I understand that people who are born and raised in large cities may have a different opinion on guns than those " country folk`s " . The folk`s that live in large urban cities , packed in like sardines , are sitting ducks for any kind of Gov../police takeover . The city perimeter will become the barricade . Feel like running out into the countryside to find a gun owning member of the public ? Maybe you ain`t welcome . Large cities will be the first to go up in flames in the event of Martial Law . Learning to live off the land is very beneficial to one`s existence . Ever tried to catch a deer in the wild by hand ?

Tue, 02/26/2013 - 2:03am Permalink

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