Current:Home > Invest4 Florida officers indicted for 2019 shootout with robbers that killed a UPS driver and passerby -Elite Financial Minds
4 Florida officers indicted for 2019 shootout with robbers that killed a UPS driver and passerby
View
Date:2025-04-14 13:43:50
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Four Florida police officers have been indicted for manslaughter in connection with a 2019 shootout on a busy rush-hour street that left a hijacked UPS driver and a passerby in a nearby car dead.
A grand jury indicted Miami-Dade County officer Rodolfo Mirabal, 39, with two counts of manslaughter with a firearm for the Dec. 5, 2019, deaths of 27-year-old UPS driver Frank Ordonez and Richard Cutshaw, a 70-year-old union negotiator who was driving nearby, Broward County prosecutors announced Saturday night.
Officers Jose Mateo, 32, Richard Santiesteban, 33, and Leslie Lee, 57, were indicted for manslaughter with a firearm in connection with Ordonez’s death. They are not charged with Cutshaw’s death.
None of the officers are charged with the deaths of the hijackers, 41-year-old cousins Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Jerome Hill.
Mateo and Mirabal are still employed by Miami-Dade police. Lee retired three years ago and Santiesteban was fired, the Miami Herald reported.
Under Florida law, manslaughter is an unlawful killing committed while demonstrating “culpable negligence” — that is defined as an act that shows a “a wanton or reckless disregard for human life.”
The officers face a maximum sentence of 30 years if convicted, but as first-time offenders that would be unlikely.
The four surrendered on Friday and Saturday to the Broward Sheriff’s Office and were released without bail.
The indictments were issued more than a week ago, but kept secret pending the officers’ surrender. News of the indictments leaked Monday night.
The indictments come after a four-year investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The shootout happened during rush hour on a major street in suburban Fort Lauderdale after a long pursuit by several police agencies. About 20 law enforcement officers were present, though it is unknown how many opened fire on the hijackers, who had been shooting at officers throughout the pursuit.
Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor said in a statement that the lengthy state investigation and the months-long grand jury proceedings were needed “to ensure we get answers for the victims’ families and the community.”
“Deciding whether to use deadly force is among the most serious and consequential decisions a police officer can make,” Pryor said. “We understand that these decisions are often made during intense and uncertain circumstances.”
Pryor and his prosecutors did not say in their statement or in available court documents how the actions of the indicted officers differed from the others. They declined further comment Sunday.
No lawyers for the officers are listed in court records.
The South Florida Police Benevolent Association, the officers’ union, did not immediately respond to a phone call and email early Sunday seeking comment. They previously issued a statement blasting the indictments.
“We’re extremely disappointed that after almost five years, these officers are finding themselves indicted for something they had seconds to decide. It sends a chilling effect to officers in Broward County,” union president Steadman Stahl said in a statement last week.
Miami-Dade police also did not not immediately respond to a phone message early Sunday. The department earlier issued a statement saying “it respects the legal process.”
The tragedy began when Alexander and Hill robbed the Regent Jewelers store in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables. When officers arrives, shots were being fired inside the store. A store worker was hit in the head by a ricochet, but survived.
The robbers fled and hijacked Ordonez, who was delivering packages nearby.
They led officers on a long chase into southern Broward County, running red lights and narrowly avoiding crashes. The chase attracted television news helicopters, which began broadcasting it live nationally.
The hijackers fired from inside the van, which finally stopped in a middle lane at a busy intersection, caught behind a wall of vehicles at a red light.
Witnesses said gunfire suddenly erupted as officers ran between cars toward the van. Ordonez, Alexander and Hill were killed inside the van. Cutshaw was found dead in his car. Investigators have not said if Ordonez and Cutshaw were shot by police, the robbers or both.
Policing experts said in 2019 that the officers were in a tough spot. It appeared the robbers were firing from the van, endangering the officers, Ordonez, nearby drivers and their passengers. The officers needed to contain the robbers in the van so they couldn’t run to another vehicle and take new hostages, the experts said.
It is highly unusual for Florida law enforcement officers to be charged for an on-duty killing, having only happened three times in the past 40 years. Even then, only one of those officers has been convicted.
Three police officers in the Panhandle town of Crestview are awaiting trial on manslaughter charges for the 2021 death of Calvin Wilks Jr., who died after they allegedly jolted him with a stun gun. Those officers, who have pleaded not guilty, are awaiting trial.
Former Palm Beach Gardens officer Nouman Raja is serving a 25-year prison sentence after being convicted of manslaughter and attempted murder for the 2015 shooting of Corey Jones, whose SUV had broken down on an interstate highway off-ramp.
Raja, working undercover and in plain clothes, never identified himself as a police officer when he approached Jones and began yelling at him, an audio recording showed. Jones, fearing he was being robbed, pulled his licensed handgun and tried to flee. Raja pursued and killed him, trial testimony showed.
A Broward sheriff’s deputy was charged with manslaughter for the 2014 fatal shooting of a man who was carrying an air rifle he had just purchased. Deputies yelled at Jermaine McBean, who spun around and was shot by Deputy Peter Peraza. A judge later threw out the manslaughter charge.
veryGood! (52925)
Related
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Ángel Hernández, controversial umpire scorned by players and fans, retires after 33-year career
- 22 are dead across the US after weekend tornadoes. More storms may be in store
- What is the best sunscreen? Experts spill on mineral vs. chemical, SPF, and more
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- European-Japanese climate research satellite launched from California aboard SpaceX rocket
- New Jersey and wind farm developer Orsted settle claims for $125M over scrapped offshore projects
- These are the best small and midsize pickup trucks to buy in 2024
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- University of Florida employee, students implicated in illegal plot to ship drugs, toxins to China
Ranking
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Inflation pressures lingering from pandemic are keeping Fed rate cuts on pause
- Biden, Harris to launch Black voter outreach effort amid signs of diminished support
- Poland rolls out plans for fortifications along its border with Russia and Belarus
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- These are the best small and midsize pickup trucks to buy in 2024
- Appeals court won’t halt upcoming Alabama execution
- Reese Witherspoon Cries “Tears of Joy” After “Incredible” Niece Abby’s High School Graduation
Recommendation
Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
'Grey's Anatomy' Season 20 finale: Date, time, cast, where to watch and stream
Former California water official pleads guilty to conspiring to steal water from irrigation canal
Stetson Bennett took break for mental health last season, 'excited' to be with LA Rams
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
A petting zoo brought an alligator to a Missouri school event. The gator is now missing.
Swapping one food for another can help lower your household's carbon emissions, study shows
Cardi B Cheekily Claps Back After She's Body-Shamed for Skintight Look