How a Polyamorous Relationship Led to Fla. Woman Allegedly Shooting Other Woman in Neck
Lareine Barbie Cruz was arrested in connection with the shooting over the weekend, per police
A Florida woman is under arrest after she allegedly shot another woman who was part of a polyamorous relationship with her romantic partner.
Police arrested 22-year-old Lareine Barbie Cruz over the weekend in connection with the shooting, which police allege took place outside her Miami, Fla., residence, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.
Miami police responded to a report of a shooting on Saturday, Nov. 9, and found a woman with a gunshot wound to her neck, per the affidavit. The victim was transported to a local hospital.
During their investigation, police learned from a man that he was in a relationship with the victim for five years, and had met Cruz two years ago. At one point, all three were in a polyamorous relationship, he said.
However, he recently began having “relationship issues” with the victim. He began dating Cruz “with an expectation of a romantic relationship,” which reportedly made the victim jealous, the affidavit states.
On the morning of the shooting, the victim, who lives across Cruz, saw the man smoking on Cruz’s balcony. She allegedly screamed at him, he said, and he left the apartment because he wanted to avoid "drama," per the affidavit.
Later in the day, the victim came to Cruz’s apartment and allegedly began kicking and banging on her door, a deliveryman who witnessed the shooting told investigators.
From inside the apartment, Cruz reportedly notified the male romantic partner about the victim's banging on her door. He tried to contact the victim on the phone but was unsuccessful, he told investigators.
As the victim allegedly continued to kick and bang on the door from the outside, the deliveryman witnessing it suddenly heard a gunshot, he told police.
He saw the victim was bleeding from the neck, he said.
The investigation revealed the victim never entered the suspect’s apartment and that Cruz allegedly shot the woman “blindly through the door," police stated in the affidavit.
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Cruz was charged with attempted murder and displaying a firearm while committing a felony, according to the affidavit.
It wasn't immediately clear if she has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on her behalf.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.