A Miami-Dade police officer shot and killed the driver of a car he'd pulled over in a traffic stop in North Miami-Dade early Sunday, authorities said.

Homicide detectives were still trying to sort out what exactly happened. Miami-Dade spokesman Robert Williams gave this account:

About 4:20 a.m., an officer with less than a year with the department pulled over to two Hispanic men in a Nissan sedan on Northwest 27th Avenue near 107th Street.

The officer exited his patrol car. Precisely what happened next is unclear but the officer pulled his weapon and shot into the car.

''Something happened in that gap. We don't what yet,'' Williams said.

The Nissan then drove away, coming to a stop near Northwest 97th Street and 25th Avenue. Police took the passenger into custody and the driver was found dead, Williams said.

Homicide and internal affairs detectives, as is the case in all police-involved shootings, are investigating. Representatives from the state attorneys office were also called to the scene.

No names were released. The officer is described as Hispanic, in his 20s.

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