Man Shoots at Gay Couple After Catfishing Them on Grindr
A Florida man faces weapons and assault charges for catfishing a gay couple on Grindr and firing at their door when they refused to open it.
A gay couple who arranged to meet a new paramour through Grindr got the shock of their lives after they realized they had been catfished by a gun-wielding man who proceeded to shoot at them.
Police officers responded to a report of a shooting shortly before 7:30 p.m. on August 26 at the couple’s apartment in a two-story building in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood.
The threesome-seeking couple told officers they had been the victims of “catfishing,” where an online user misrepresents themselves online to dupe other users, often for ulterior motives.
The couple realized that the man who arrived at their door was not the same person with whom they believed they had been chatting on Grindr, and refused to open it. The unexpected visitor then opened fire at the door.
A witness who heard the shooting reported seeing the gunman running, dropping a gun, picking it back up, and fleeing in a red car.
Police later identified the car as a four-door 2019 Honda Accord belonging to Leonardo Leon, and matched the witness description of the suspect to Leon.
Utilizing surveillance videos, a license plate reader, and Miami’s Real-Time Crime Center, detectives were able to pinpoint Leon’s location and intercept the car.
Detectives questioned Leon, who claimed he was doing a roofing job in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and working as an Uber Eats driver. According to detectives, Leon was doing neither when the shooting took place.
Police arrested Leon on October 1 and booked him at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He was later released on bail and ordered to stay away from the couple in the case.
Leon faces seven charges, including using a firearm while committing a felony, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of throwing a deadly missile, one count of discharging a firearm in public, and improper exhibition of a weapon.
At this time, prosecutors have not brought any charges suggesting that the shooting may have been motivated by anti-gay bias.
Leon pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. His court-appointed attorney has requested a jury trial. He is next scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment hearing on October 31.
The case serves as a reminder that people on dating apps are not always who they appear to be. There have been dozens of headline-grabbing cases where meetups arranged through dating or hookup apps have turned violent.
In June 2020, a Louisiana man who arranged a date with another man ended up restraining and attempting to stab the victim to death before trying to dismember the body in a bathtub. In September 2020, a Bronx man was arrested and charged with murder for stabbing a man, whom he had met through Grindr, after arranging to host him at his apartment.
The following month, a 17-year-old was arrested in Waco, Texas, after he was accused of using Grindr to pose as an older person and arrange in-person meetings with three men, whom he shot, wounding two and killing a third.
In 2021, a Texas man was charged with murder for allegedly using Grindr to arrange a meeting with a man whom he robbed and strangled to death. The following year, a man in California pleaded guilty to using dating apps to lure gay male victims into meeting in person, with the intent of assaulting and robbing them.
In 2023, a transgender man was murdered after leaving to go on a date with a person he had been corresponding with online for over a month and a half. And in July 2024, a Pennsylvania man was arrested for killing and dismembering a 14-year-old transgender girl whom he allegedly met through Grindr for a hookup.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.