A Florida prosecutor has ordered another investigation into a man who shot at a Black couple that mistakenly went to the wrong address while attempting to deliver groceries for Instacart.
Waldes Thomas, 19, and his girlfriend Diamond D’arville, 18, reportedly were doing a late-night grocery delivery to the 6500 block of SW 178th Ave. in Southwest Ranches, Florida, a little after 10 p.m. on April 15. The couple said that they were on the phone with the customer trying to find the address and ended up at another home on someone else’s property. The couple was about to drive off when the two spotted a flashlight.
“He’s like, ‘Who are you?’ and we’re saying; we’re with Instacart,’ ” D’arville said to NBC 6 News.
The couple said they thought it was the customer they were supposed to deliver to, but it wasn’t and things quickly spiraled out of control.
“The guy gets in his truck and reverses, and he pulls up behind us,” D’arville said to NBC 6 News.
D’arville said she saw the man pull out a gun as they tried to get away.
“I had seen him pull out a gun and that’s when I said, ‘We got to go, we got to go,’ ” she said told NBC 6 News. “I was scared; I’m not going to lie.”
She said her 2014 Honda Accord was hit several times, but they were able to get to safety a block away. Davie Police spotted the car pulled to the side of the road and spoke with the couple to ask them what happened.
“We were there for Instacart, we were trying to tell him, and he went about it the wrong way — instead of just calling police, saying I have trespassers on my lawn, he decided to shoot,” Thomas said to NBC 6 News.
Davie Police, which provides public safety services for the small affluent town near Fort Lauderdale, did confirm that there was a shooting and reported there were no injuries, according to NBC 6 News.
“(A detective) asked if we wanted to prosecute and we agreed to do that, but he said since they didn’t break any laws or do anything unlawful, they couldn’t do anything because we were on their property,” D’arville said to NBC 6 News.
Broward County state attorney Harold Pryor issued a statement saying that Davie Police investigators never contacted his office about the shooting. Pryor said he was unaware of the shooting until his office was contacted by the reporters last Friday.
“I contacted the Davie Police Department to request a full investigation,” Pryor said to WSVN 7 News. He also added that his prosecutors will decide whether charges should be filed.
According to Davie Police, the victims and the suspect gave conflicting reports about what happened next. The detective working the case said in his report that he couldn’t determine who committed a crime without video evidence.
“Each party appeared justified in their actions based on the circumstances they perceived,” the detective’s report concluded.
The homeowner reportedly told officers he asked his 12-year-old son to tell the driver to leave, but he soon heard his son yelling for help. He said the car was driving recklessly and banged into his logs and boulders.
He stated that the car then drove toward him and ran over his foot, which caused him to draw his handgun in fear for his family’s safety. The homeowner reportedly said he fired at the car’s tires before it sped away. He said he then called police.
The Davie Police report also stated that the homeowner’s intention was to disable the vehicle so it would no longer be a danger, according to NBC 6 News.
“It’s just not right — even if you have a gun, I understand you’re trying to protect your family, but you don’t come outside shooting,” D’arville said to NBC 6 News. “We’re telling you what we’re here, we’re trying to leave and you’re blocking us in, it could’ve just been on our way and they made it bigger than what it was.”
Police also reportedly returned the homeowner’s gun after they concluded their investigation.
Instacart released a statement last week to NBC 6 News about the incident.
“The safety of the entire Instacart community is incredibly important to us, and we take immediate action when we receive reports of violence or threats of violence made against any member of the Instacart community,” Instacart said in a statement to NBC 6 News. “We have reached out to the shopper and will cooperate with law enforcement on any ongoing investigation.”
