Four Miami-Dade police officers are facing charges of manslaughter for the deaths of a UPS driver who was kidnapped and a witness who was caught in the middle of a shootout in 2019, according to prosecutors on Saturday.
In a statement, Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor noted that the grand jury was informed of the findings of the agencies involved due to the high level of gunfire that occurred at a bustling intersection filled with both pedestrians and drivers.
According to the state attorney’s office, after several months of evidence gathering, a Broward County grand jury charged the four police officers on June 6. The officers then voluntarily turned themselves in at the Broward Main Jail on Friday and Saturday.
Charged with two counts of manslaughter with a firearm are the allegations facing Rodolfo Mirabal, a 39-year-old man. The charges are in connection to the deaths of FBI agent Frank Ordoñez, 27, who was kidnapped, and Richard Cutshaw, 70, who was unfortunately caught in traffic during the incident.
Jose Mateo, Richard Santiesteban, and Leslie Lee were charged with the killing of Ordoñez, with the use of a firearm. The charges include one count of murder.
Pryor emphasized that deciding to use deadly force is a critical and precarious decision that police officers face. He acknowledged that such decisions are frequently made in challenging and indeterminate circumstances.
The judge ordered the release of the four individuals from jail. In the event of a guilty verdict, they may face a maximum sentence of 30 years in state prison. However, if this is their first offense, they may receive a reduced sentence.
According to records, Mateo and Mirabal, both police officers, were still employed by the Miami-Dade police force at the time of the shooting. They were active members of the Priority Response Team during the incident.
According to sources cited by the Miami Herald, Lee was a member of the Special Response Team and left his position in late 2021, as indicated by records.
In June, Santiesteban lost his job as a member of the Robbery Intervention Detail Unit before facing charges.
Pryor expressed that although it has been a lengthy process, the grand jury was crucial in obtaining answers for the families of the victims and the community. “We believe that this was the right thing to do,” he stated. The charge is self-explanatory, and any further statements will be made through the court system, following our standard procedure.
In December 2019, a jewelry heist escalated into a high-speed police pursuit, resulting in a hail of bullets fired by over a dozen police officers from at least three different agencies at a busy intersection.
Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Jerome Hill initiated the crime by stealing a UPS truck in Coral Gables, with Ordoñez, a UPS driver and father of two still inside. As the police chase commenced on the highway, the situation became even more precarious.
A chaotic gunfight erupted at the crossing of Miramar Parkway and Flamingo Road, a busy area bustling with cars. Tragically, the exchange of gunfire claimed the life of not only Ordoñez and the two alleged thieves but also a 70-year-old local union worker by the name of Rick Cutshaw. His untimely death serves as a somber reminder of the devastating consequences of such violent altercations.
Ordoñez’s family is still struggling to come to terms with his untimely demise. Joe Merino, his father, expressed to the Herald that they are desperately seeking someone to hold accountable for the tragedy.
Merino emphasized that they had been requesting it for four and a half years, stating that it was a matter of fairness.
Source: Miami Herald
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