19-Year-Old Venezuelan Migrant Detained After Margate Mall Shooting
A 19‑year‑old Venezuelan migrant, Joan Ferrer, was arrested in Hillsborough County on May 15 and subsequently extradited to Broward County. The extradition follows a shooting that occurred on May 9 at a shopping plaza on South State Road 7 in Margate, Florida.
The incident involved Ferrer pulling a firearm and firing at a victim in the presence of a 10‑year‑old child, as detailed in an arrest warrant issued the following day. The gunfire also caused damage to several storefronts in the plaza.
Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputies took Ferrer into custody and booked him at the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale. He remains there unbonded, according to inmate records.
Ferrer faces four charges: attempted murder, child neglect with bodily harm, criminal mischief, and discharging a firearm in public. He also has a hold by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case will be heard before Broward County Circuit Judge Francis I. Viamontes.