On September 9, 2023, 30-year-old Jimmeal Davis of Coconut Grove was shot and later died at Jackson South Medical Center after an altercation at the Gables Inn motel, 730 S. Dixie Highway in Coral Gables. Police say an argument between Davis and the motel’s desk clerk escalated into a physical confrontation and the clerk produced a firearm and shot Davis. The clerk remained at the scene and cooperated with detectives; investigators say the shooting may have been self-defense.

Davis’s family disputes the self-defense claim, saying he would have had to pass through bulletproof glass and a locked door to reach the clerk and that he was shot from behind. They want to see surveillance video footage, which motel management and Miami-Dade police have not released. Motel management maintains the video shows Davis trespassed into an employee-only area and assaulted the clerk before being shot.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.