Raul Aballe Salas, a 41-year-old man, was fatally shot on August 17, 2026, after what investigators described as a dispute in northwest Miami-Dade County. Aballe was born on December 29, 1984. At approximately 5:38 p.m., Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies were sent to the area of 3316 NW 38th Street after a shooting was reported. When deputies arrived, they found Aballe suffering from a gunshot wound and began lifesaving efforts until Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel arrived.
He was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where he died from his injuries. Miami-Dade medical examiner records list his death at approximately 7:21 p.m. that evening.
Investigators later developed a more detailed account of what allegedly happened before the shooting. According to the arrest report, 49-year-old William Serrano Domenech was socializing with a woman at the location when Aballe arrived. Authorities said Aballe and Serrano Domenech began arguing, and the confrontation became physical when Serrano Domenech allegedly started slapping and punching Aballe. The woman attempted to intervene and separate the men. Investigators said Serrano Domenech then pulled a handgun from a fanny pack and shot Aballe in the abdomen. The witness reportedly told detectives that Aballe was unarmed and had not initiated the physical confrontation.
Detectives determined that the hostility between the two men was apparently not a chance encounter. According to the arrest affidavit, Aballe and Serrano Domenech had been involved in an ongoing dispute that investigators believed was connected to Serrano Domenech’s jealousy over Aballe’s relationship with the female witness. A friend of Aballe who spoke publicly after the shooting said the two men knew one another and had a tense relationship. She described Aballe as being like a brother to her and said she tried to stop the confrontation before the gunfire. Authorities have relied primarily on the witness statements and other evidence gathered at the scene in describing the events that preceded the shooting.
After allegedly shooting Aballe, Serrano Domenech fled the area before deputies could take him into custody. Investigators began searching for him while detectives canvassed the surrounding commercial area for witnesses and surveillance recordings. The following afternoon, deputies conducting directed patrol spotted Serrano Domenech near Northwest 32nd Street and Northwest 31st Avenue. According to the arrest report, when deputies attempted to approach him, he entered the yard of a nearby residence in what investigators believed was an effort to avoid the marked patrol vehicle.
Once deputies detained him, Serrano Domenech allegedly identified himself as the person police were seeking in connection with the previous day’s shooting. While officers were attempting to obtain his identification, they reportedly saw a handgun inside a bag he was carrying. Investigators also determined that Serrano Domenech had previous felony convictions, including federal convictions involving cocaine sales and a weapons offense, which prohibited him from legally possessing a firearm.
After being advised of his Miranda rights, Serrano Domenech allegedly admitted that he had shot Aballe. Investigators reported, however, that portions of his version of the confrontation did not agree with the account provided by the witness. The witness maintained that Aballe had been unarmed and had not been the person who started the physical attack. Those statements became important to investigators as they reconstructed the confrontation and determined what criminal charges were appropriate.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office arrested Serrano Domenech and charged him with second-degree murder and possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon. He appeared in court shortly after his arrest and was ordered held without bond on the murder case. As of late August 2026, the case remained in the early stages of the criminal court process, and no trial or conviction in Aballe’s killing had yet occurred.
The case also resulted in federal immigration action involving the accused. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer with Miami-Dade authorities following Serrano Domenech’s arrest. Federal officials identified him as a Cuban citizen with an extensive prior criminal record. The immigration matter is separate from the homicide prosecution, and the central criminal allegation remains that Serrano Domenech intentionally shot Aballe during the August 17 confrontation. Serrano Domenech is accused of the killing and remains legally presumed innocent unless and until he is convicted in court.
