A Miami Gardens man fired hundreds of rounds shortly after midnight on New Year’s Eve, sending a bullet past his neighbor and the neighbor’s family at close range, police said.
Miami Gardens police began investigating on New Year’s Day after a neighbor reported gunfire in the 17000 block of Northwest 27th Avenue, according to an arrest affidavit.
The neighbor told officers he was outside with his family when “a bullet passed by them at a close distance, placing them in immediate fear for their lives,” the affidavit stated.
The family ran inside for cover. The man said he saw several people in his rear neighbor’s backyard firing guns into the air.
Officers later observed multiple bullet holes in the metal fence separating the two properties, along with shell casings scattered throughout the neighbor’s yard, the affidavit said.
After obtaining a search warrant, police found Dorian Christopher Alvarenga, 28, inside the neighboring home.
Officers allegedly recovered about 525 shell casings and 13 firearms. They also found a black Glock hidden inside Alvarenga’s motorcycle with a damaged or erased serial number.
Alvarenga told police he hosted a large New Year’s Eve party and fired about three handguns and one rifle toward the ground, according to the affidavit. He said other people may have fired weapons but claimed he did not know who else, if anyone, discharged the firearms.
During a Jan. 5 interview, Alvarenga told investigators the gun found in his motorcycle seat belonged to a friend who was deported to Honduras several months earlier. He said he hid the weapon because he did not know its history, the affidavit stated.
Alvarenga was arrested at the police station.
He faces seven charges, including aggravated assault with a firearm, shooting deadly missiles, and culpable negligence, court records show.
As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, Alvarenga remained in custody at the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to jail records.
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