A North Miami family is asking for help to find two attackers who police say tried to kill an ATM repair man outside his home.
"It's devastating," said Alfredo Arrieta, brother of 27-year-old Juan Carlos Canales.
Investigators say about twenty minutes after midnight on May 5th, two people held up Canales at gunpoint outside his home at 13390 Northeast 7th Avenue. Canales had just come home from work.
Officers say they're not sure whether Canales was followed home. They pointed out he wasn't carrying a lot of money, and did not handle cash for ATMs. He just repaired them.
North Miami Police spokesman Maj. Neal Cuevas said at least two people beat Canales, and stuffed him in the trunk of his company car, a gray Ford Fiesta. Somehow, Canales managed to get out of the trunk, but his attackers caught him, beat him again, then shot him, police said.
North Miami police chief Marc Elias called the attack a "senseless shooting" of a "hard-working son."
Investigators later found Canales' car dumped at 170 Northeast 6th Avenue.
"It's difficult," said his mother, speaking of seeing her son still in the hospital. Relatives say he suffered a spinal injury from the gunshot wound. His sister-in-law, Oneida Arrieta, said doctors told the family Canales may never walk again.
"To see him now," she said," it's really changed all of our lives."
Oneida Arrieta said Canales was not involved in gangs or criminal activity, his priorities were family, work and school. He shares a condominium with his mother and stepfather, whom he helps support. He studied electrical engineering at DeVry University, and was scheduled to graduate in September.
Police are offering a $6,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Canales's company contributed $5,000 to that amount.
"If you know something, please just come forward and help us find those guys," said Alfredo Arrieta. The anonymous number for Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers is 305-471-TIPS.
Photo Credit: Canales Family