FIERY RAMPAGE: Woman Arrested for Attempted Murder

​MIAMI-DADE COUNTY — What began as a heated verbal dispute on a South Florida street corner culminated in a horrific act of calculated violence over the weekend, leaving a 33-year-local man fighting for his life with catastrophic burns across the majority of his body.

​According to a detailed police report obtained from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, 45-year-old Tanisha Shelton is currently behind bars facing severe felony charges of attempted murder and arson following the harrowing incident at the intersection of Northwest 63rd Street and Northwest 25th Avenue.

​Investigators state that the tragedy unfolded after hours of escalating tension between Shelton and the victim, Nathaniel Devon Mathis, 33. Following an initial verbal altercation, the dispute temporarily paused when Shelton walked away from the scene—not before allegedly delivering an ominous parting threat that she would return to orchestrate an attack against Mathis.

​True to her word, authorities report that Shelton reappeared hours later carrying a bucket that held a plastic bag filled with an accelerant. In a chilling sequence of events witnessed by bystanders, the suspect allegedly approached a witness to ask for a lighter before methodically dousing Mathis in the flammable substance and setting him ablaze.

​Emergency services flooded the intersection at approximately 6:00 p.m., discovering Mathis unconscious and suffering from severe, extensive thermal trauma. Paramedics rushed the victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where attending medical personnel diagnosed him with second- and third-degree burns covering an estimated 80% of his body. Hospital officials have since stated that Mathis is in critical condition and faces an extremely grim prognosis, with medical evaluations indicating he is not expected to survive.

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​Quick-thinking bystanders at the scene attempted to halt the suspect’s escape, with one witness successfully deploying pepper spray as Shelton tried to flee on foot. Vital identification details and descriptions provided by other witnesses at the scene proved crucial, allowing law enforcement officers to rapidly track down the suspect and take her into custody.

​Shelton is currently being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where she awaits formal judicial proceedings.