Cousin speaks out after 17-year-old stabbed in fatal domestic incident in Hialeah

MIAMI – The cousin of a 17-year-old girl who was stabbed to death in a fatal domestic incident early Wednesday morning in Hialeah speaks out and says she wants to know what triggered this incident.

Alexandra Morales spoke exclusively with CBS News Miami as she and another family member went to Ryder Trauma Center to visit injured teenager Amanda Gonzalez.

Family members told us she is doing better after the surgery, but Morales is worried.

“I don't even know what's going on,” she said. “It's really crazy and I really hope the best for her. I'm just praying for her and it hurts a lot. I'm desperate and I feel like this is a dream, like it's not real. She's very sweet and very patient and kind. I've never heard her scream or yell at anyone.”

Family members identified the victims as Amanda Gonzalez, her mother Madelyne and her grandmother Rosa and said they were stabbed by Amanda's brother Alex. A neighbor and a friend said the man was a man in his 20s who suffered from mental health issues.

Morales was asked: “What questions do you have?”

“The questions I have are: why and what happened? This is my little cousin. Ultimately, this happened to her and I have a lot of questions. The same questions everyone has.”

“I don't know what I would have done if I had lost her. It's a difficult situation,” Morales said.

According to police, Amanda and an adult woman were taken to the hospital, the other adult woman died at home.

It was just before 4:30 a.m. when Hialeah police rushed to a home on the corner of West 42nd Place and West 5th Court after a domestic dispute was reported. When they arrived, they said they were met outside the home by a woman who had been stabbed. Inside the home, they found two other women who had also been stabbed.

Lt. Eddie Rodriguez said in a statement: “As officers rendered aid to the victims, a confrontation occurred between officers and the armed suspect, during which officers were forced to fire their weapons.”

Video from the scene shows police officers shooting at someone inside the house and at least a dozen gunshots could be heard.

CBS News Miami spoke with Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida PBA, who represents one of the two police officers involved in the shooting.

Stahl said: “When the police arrived, the perpetrator directed his anger at the officers and attacked them with a knife. The police had no choice but to fire their weapons and take out the perpetrator.”

“He had a knife in his hand and body-worn cameras,” Stahl said. “When officers repeatedly ordered him to drop the knife, he disobeyed and they were forced to shoot. No officer enjoys taking someone's life, but they had no choice but to shoot the perpetrator.”

“These family disputes can be resolved in a matter of seconds. When officers are on the scene, they have to make a split-second decision when confronted with a person with a knife who has stabbed multiple family members,” Stahl said.

The FDLE, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, is investigating the shooting, which is standard procedure in such cases.