An arrest report said a bystander told the women to move away after seeing a gun.
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — A witness warned three women to get away from a driver with a gun moments before two of them were shot outside a Homestead restaurant, according to police accounts of an arrest report.
The warning is a central detail in the case against Samantha Renee Morales, 34, who police said drove up to the women in a black Tesla outside Dr. Limon Ceviche Bar on April 17. Morales was arrested at the scene and later ordered held without bond. The two women who were shot were taken to a hospital and reported in stable condition.
The arrest report places the women outside the restaurant at 2508 NE 10th Court, where they were saying goodbye after a night out. Police said Morales approached them from the vehicle and asked whether they were good. One woman answered, “Yes, we good. Are you good?” Investigators said Morales replied with an insult and said it looked like they had a problem. The exchange, as described by police, did not begin with a known argument or prior relationship. It began as a short question from a stranger in a car and became a confrontation at the edge of the restaurant plaza.
What happened next came from witness accounts gathered by police. A witness said Morales opened the car door and asked the group, “What are you gonna do about it?” Another witness told the women to move away because Morales had a gun, investigators said. Police said the women verbally confronted Morales despite the warning. At some point in the confrontation, Morales fired two shots and hit two women. The report said one woman lunged toward Morales to knock the gun away. A physical altercation followed, and officers separated Morales from the women when they arrived.
Homestead police responded to the 2400 block of Northeast 10th Court after reports of a shooting in the shopping plaza. Officers found two victims with gunshot wounds and had them taken for treatment. Morales was still at the scene, police said, and was arrested after investigators reviewed what had happened. Authorities have not publicly released the victims’ names. They also have not said whether the firearm was recovered at the scene, whether surveillance footage captured the confrontation or whether anyone else in the plaza was endangered by the gunfire.
Morales’ own statement, as described by police, added a separate thread to the investigation. After being read her rights, she told officers she did not remember what happened, except that she was “fighting for her life.” Police said she also reported drinking three alcoholic beverages before the shooting. Investigators did not publicly explain whether that statement matched or conflicted with other evidence. The early police account instead focused on the sequence described by the victims and witnesses: the Tesla arriving, the exchange outside the restaurant, the warning about the gun, the shots and the struggle.
The criminal counts reflect the number of people police said were targeted or injured. Morales faces two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon for the women who were shot and three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm connected to the group. She also faces one count related to firearm use and two misdemeanors. During a Monday bond hearing, a judge ordered her to remain at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond. Reports listed another court appearance for the Wednesday after the hearing and an arraignment for May 18.
The plaza setting gives the case a public dimension beyond the three women and the defendant. Dr. Limon Ceviche Bar is part of Homestead Pavilion, a shopping center with restaurant traffic, parked cars and people moving through shared outdoor areas. A confrontation there could involve witnesses from nearby businesses or diners leaving at the same time. Police have not said how crowded the area was when the shots were fired. The available accounts show that at least one bystander was close enough to see the gun and warn the women before the shooting.
The investigation remained active as the court case advanced. Morales stayed jailed without bond, the injured women were reported stable, and the next listed milestone was arraignment on May 18.
Author note: Last updated May 17, 2026.