A Sunny Isles Beach man is facing an aggravated battery charge after police said he opened fire on a friend following a dinner together Wednesday night.
Police said the shooting happened around 11:40 p.m. in the suspect’s unit at the Millennium Condominiums, 18671 Collins Ave. An arrest report says the victim told officers he had been drinking heavily with Joseph Christopher Mattina, 53, a friend of five years, who became upset about a topic they had discussed.
According to the report, Mattina went inside from the balcony and returned with an expression that made the victim uneasy. Police said Mattina then fired, grazing the victim’s right heel.
The victim punched Mattina, who set the gun on a table. The victim grabbed the weapon, threw it off the balcony and called 911, police said. When officers arrived, Mattina said the gun was his and that it had gone off by accident, the report states. He later declined to speak with police.
Medics treated the victim at the scene. As of Thursday afternoon, Mattina’s bond was listed as “to be set” in Miami-Dade jail records.