In the early hours of Friday, June 7, 2024 a distressing incident unfolded in southwest Miami-Dade, Florida. A woman and her four-year-old son were brutally shot in a presumed murder-suicide in a Chase Bank’s parking lot. The assailant also ended his life in the incident.
At around 7:30 a.m., the violent act occurred in the bank’s drive-thru at the intersection of Bird Road and 152nd Avenue. Miami-Dade Police Detective Luis Sierra reported that an on-duty sergeant in the vicinity responded to the sound of gunshots and discovered the horrific scene.
According to Detective Sierra, the woman was in a minivan with her young son at the bank’s ATM when an SUV pulled up next to them. The man in the SUV started firing, resulting in the fatal shooting of the woman and the child before he turned the gun on himself.
The victims were identified as 43-year-old Odalys Bancroft and her four-year-old son, Theodore Couto. The shooter, identified as Michael Andres Pineda Lozano, was Bancroft’s ex-boyfriend and was found deceased at the scene.
The incident has left the community in a state of shock. Bancroft’s brother, Michael Trujillo, said, “Never in a million years would I expect anything like this to happen.” He added, “I can’t fathom any circumstances that would lead a normal person to commit such an act against a woman and her child. They were in the process of breaking up, but I never noticed any indications of fear that something like this could happen.”
Bancroft was a well-respected figure in the community, serving as the director of regulatory affairs at Jackson Health System since 2015. Prior to her leadership role, she began her career as a clinical staff nurse at Holtz Children’s Hospital. Jackson Health System CEO and President, Carlos A. Migoya, praised her dedication: “Odalys was profoundly committed to our mission and was always proud to represent Jackson. Her contributions have left a lasting impact, making Jackson a better place.”
Theodore, lovingly known as Teddy, was a recent Pre-K-4 graduate and would have celebrated his fifth birthday the following month. “Everywhere that he was, it was always just a happier place with him around,” Trujillo said.
Scene footage showed a silver BMW SUV next to a dark-colored minivan at the bank’s ATM, cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape. The presence of a child’s car seat in the minivan underscored the gravity of the incident.
Family members, clearly distraught, were seen talking to the police outside the bank. Teddy’s father was at the scene, visibly shaken, as police attempted to console him.
