72-Year-Old Grandpa Fatally Shot on Thanksgiving Just Minutes Before Family Arrives
(NBC 6 News/7 News Miami)
A 72-year-old grandfather, Hureleyon McLean, was tragically shot and killed on Thanksgiving afternoon during a dispute with a neighbor over loud music, just minutes before his family was due to arrive. The incident occurred in a gated community in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, around 3:30 p.m.
Police responding to reports of a shooting found McLean lying face down in a pool of blood, according to his heartbroken wife, Rose McLean. He succumbed to his injuries shortly after. “I heard the gunshot, ‘boom,’ and I just flew to the door. I see my husband lying face down in the blood,” Rose told 7 News Miami.
Rose recounted that her husband had gone to the neighbor’s apartment to address a noise complaint. “He came up there to ring the doorbell and leave a message,” Rose said. “I don’t know what he went down to talk, I don’t know, because I didn’t know he was going down to his apartment.”
Tragically, the confrontation escalated, and the neighbor fired a single fatal shot. Rose described the horrifying moment when she confronted the gunman. “He wasn’t sorry. He was just standing, looking at me with his gun in his hand the same way,” she said. “And I go up to him and say, ‘Why did you shoot my husband? Why?’ And he said to me, ‘If I didn’t shut my mouth, he would shoot me, too.’”
Hureleyon McLean was a devoted family man, described by Rose as her lifelong partner. “Anywhere he is, I’m always with him. We’re like a team together. For him to be taken away like this, trust me, it’s very hard,” she said. McLean was a father of two adult sons, a grandfather, and a bus driver for a private company.
The police have detained one person in connection with the incident but have not confirmed whether it was the neighbor. Detectives are investigating the circumstances of the shooting and have yet to file charges. The senseless killing has left McLean’s family and community in shock, turning what should have been a day of gratitude and celebration into a devastating tragedy.
