A Miami-Dade County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a man Tuesday evening after responding to reports of an armed individual threatening people in the Goulds community.

Deputy confronts armed suspect

According to Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, a man in his 40s exited a minivan around 7:40 p.m., waving it and pointing it at people. A 911 call alerted authorities to the threat.

The first deputy on the scene, a sergeant, pulled up behind the suspect's minivan and tried to get him to drop the weapon.

When the man did not comply, the two exchanged gunfire, authorities said.

Officials said the sergeant was unharmed, but the suspect was shot and later died at a regional trauma center.

Community and law enforcement response

Sheriff Cordero-Stutz praised the deputy's actions and the community for calling 911.

"We're very grateful to the community for making that very difficult 911 call. As difficult as this scene is, it could have been a lot worse. It was clear that this individual was intent on harming someone," she said.

Investigators from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are leading the examination of the shooting.

The sheriff noted that the suspect had an "extensive criminal background," but she did not provide further details.