A neighborhood dispute at an apartment complex in North Miami ended with three people shot dead on November 13, 2023. Hector Rivera, a 50-year-old Hispanic man, and his adult sons Frank and Jeremy Rivera were all shot after a physical altercation between Hector and neighbor Pierce Nelson Hoempler on the front lawn of the complex on Northeast 5th Avenue. Reports say the fight escalated until both men were on the ground, with Hoempler pinning Hector down. When Frank and Jeremy ran to help, Hoempler allegedly pulled a semi-automatic pistol and shot all three men.

Hector and Jeremy were pronounced dead at the scene; Frank was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center and later died. Family members say Frank’s two young sons, ages 8 and 10, witnessed the shooting. Police detained Hoempler at the scene, multiple witnesses identified him as the shooter, and Hoempler told officers he acted in self-defense but refused to make a formal statement at the station.

Did anyone in the North Miami community witness the confrontation or the moments leading up to it?