“Hello, hello, hello, David talk to me. Is he alive? Is he breathing?” a mother shouts over the ring cam.
Moments later her husband appears visibly distraught. “He’s not breathing. He dead,” he replies.
“But why David? Why?” the woman asks.
The man explains that he had been fighting with his son. There had been some talk about inviting girls over, which the father did not approve of. It got too much, and the argument turned fatal.
“it’s not your fault,” the man reassures his wife. Then he asks her to call 911.
The Arrest
Subsequent footage shows the view from an arresting officer’s camera. The police arrived at David De Jesus Contreras’ quiet Florida neighborhood in Miami-Dade County near Pinecrest.
You can see the officers move towards the man, guns drawn, as he sits on his knees with his hands on top of his head.
The police handcuff Contreras, who is near hysterics. He confirms that no one is in the house.
“What are you calling for,” the police ask.
“I shot my son,” the man answers. He then instructs the police to find his son lying right near the doorway.
The Story Behind It
The incident took place on Nov.3, 2023. 52-year-old David De Jesus Contreras shot his son Eric Contreras, a 22-year-old Florida International University student.
The young man was killed before he got a chance to celebrate his 23rd birthday with his family, which was coming up on Nov. 6th. He also missed out on the next Thanksgiving celebration.
Arrest affidavits show Contreras shot his son “multiple times for unknown reasons”.
The Trial
David Contreras appeared in court for his arraignment later in November at the Miami-Date Circuit Court at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Allapattah. Judge Daryl Trawick presided. Contreras pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
Detective Andre Marin, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department, described the murder as a domestic violence incident.
Contreras appeared for an Arthur hearing on Feb. 24, 2024, a procedure that determines bond for felony cases. The judge ruled Contreras would be held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center until his next court appearance, which is set for March 11.
Public Reaction
The ring cam footage circulated across social media and upset several viewers.
“Not every adult deserves to have children,” one commenter wrote.
“How terrible! Why would a father shoot his son several times for no reason? So sad,” another stated.
A third viewer shared a conversation screenshot from an unknown source indicating that Contreras may have had a history of violence. “Wasn’t the first time. He shot into the ceiling once before and pointed a gun at him a couple of days before the shooting…. Allegedly,” it said.
Eric’s fraternity brothers at Sigma Phi Epsilon released a statement about his death. “The brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon Florida Nu Chapter at Florida University are heartbroken to have learned this morning of the loss of one of our own, Eric Contreras. Eric was a committed Sig Ep who will always be remembered for being a caring man and for lighting up any room he was in.”
