Samantha Renee Morales faces multiple firearm-related counts after two women were shot outside Dr. Limon.
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — A Miami-Dade County judge ordered Samantha Renee Morales held without bond after police said she opened fire outside a Homestead ceviche bar, striking two women during a confrontation with a group she did not know.
The ruling kept Morales, 34, in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as prosecutors prepared for the next steps in a case that began late April 17 in the Homestead Pavilion shopping plaza. Police said the victims survived and were in stable condition, but the charges accuse Morales of using a gun against three women during a short and unexplained encounter.
Morales is charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, a firearm-use count and two misdemeanors. The number of charges reflects the two women who were hit by gunfire and the third woman who police said was threatened during the same encounter. At a Monday bond hearing, a judge ordered Morales to remain jailed. Reports said she had another court appearance scheduled for the following Wednesday and an arraignment set for May 18. At arraignment, Morales is expected to be formally advised of the charges and enter a plea through court procedure.
The arrest report described a night that started with three women leaving Dr. Limon Ceviche Bar at 2508 NE 10th Court. They were outside the restaurant saying goodbye when Morales drove up in a black Tesla, police said. Investigators said Morales asked, “You all good?” One woman answered that they were good and asked Morales if she was good. Police said Morales answered with an insult, then said it looked as though the women had a problem. A witness told officers Morales opened the car door and challenged the women with the question, “What are you gonna do about it?”
Police said the women verbally confronted Morales, and a witness warned them to get away because Morales had a gun. Investigators said Morales fired two shots and struck two women. One woman lunged at Morales to knock the gun away, according to the arrest report, and a fight followed before police arrived. Officers separated Morales from the women at the scene. The victims’ names were not released in the initial reports, and officials did not give a detailed public description of their wounds. Local television reports said both were transported to a hospital and listed as stable.
The case also includes statements Morales gave after she was detained. Police said she was read her rights and told officers she did not remember what happened, other than that she was “fighting for her life.” Investigators said Morales acknowledged having three alcoholic beverages before the shooting. That statement became part of the early police account, along with witness descriptions of the gun, the argument and the shots. Police did not say whether Morales gave any further explanation for approaching the women or whether the gun was legally possessed. Those details remained unclear in the public reports.
The location matters in the case because police described the shooting as happening in a public commercial plaza, not a private home or isolated street. Dr. Limon sits in the Homestead Pavilion shopping center near other restaurants and storefronts. Officers were sent to the 2400 block of Northeast 10th Court after reports of a shooting. They found two people with gunshot wounds and arrested Morales after the initial investigation at the scene. The public setting could become important as prosecutors present evidence about the risk to the three women and anyone else nearby when the shots were fired.
What remains unknown is whether investigators recovered video from the restaurant or nearby businesses, whether additional witnesses gave statements and whether prosecutors will file any amended charges before arraignment. The arrest report gives the basic sequence, but many court issues are still ahead, including discovery, any defense motions and possible rulings on bond or detention. Morales’ statement that she was fighting for her life could become part of later hearings, though police accounts released so far describe the women as strangers who were outside saying goodbye when the Tesla approached.
For now, the case stands as a pending felony prosecution in Miami-Dade County. Morales remained in custody without bond, and the May 18 arraignment was the next listed milestone in the court process.
Author note: Last updated May 17, 2026.