Ricardo Salazar, a businessman known locally for an unusually large tiger population and a habit of shouting at empty rooms, was killed in a shootout at his Miami mansion in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police have not confirmed a motive, though several sources describe the incident as “entirely predictable, in hindsight.”
Salazar, who arrived in Miami some years ago with, by his own account, “a suitcase and an idea,” built what neighbours describe as “a genuinely enormous house for a man who imported novelty snow globes,” the business he most frequently cited when asked how he afforded it. Customs officials say the snow globe operation has not, to date, been profitable.
A neighbour, who did not wish to be named but wished very much to talk, described hearing raised voices around 2am, followed by several loud noises, followed by what she called “a period of considerable quiet.” “He always waved,” she added. “I liked him. I didn't ask questions. Nobody asked questions. That was sort of the arrangement.”
Police have recovered several items from the scene, including, according to a source close to the investigation, “more firearms than snow globes,” a ratio the source described as “notable.” A full statement is expected once officers have finished, in the words of the department, “working out how to say all this formally.”