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Broward Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra ruled that Miami-Dade police
officers Richard Santiesteban, Leslie Lee and Rodolfo Mirabal —
who had been charged with manslaughter in the death of UPS
driver Frank Ordonez — could not be prosecuted because Florida's
“stand your ground” law justified the shooting. The same judge
cleared officer Jose Mateo in September for the same reason.
The Broward State Attorney's Office said it will appeal all four
rulings.
“Immunity from prosecution is not the same as a defense
presented to a jury from this community," the state attorney’s
statement said. “It is our belief that Stand Your Ground
immunity does not apply in matters involving innocent
bystanders, like Frank Ordonez and Richard Cutshaw, who
presented no danger to officers. In this incident, two innocent
men were killed, and the lives of numerous other innocent
bystanders were endangered.”
Cutshaw was also killed in the barrage of gunfire that
afternoon.
Ordonez, 27, had been delivering packages in Miami-Dade County
on Dec. 5, 2019, when police said two would-be jewelry store
robbers abducted him and forced him to drive from the scene. A
rush-hour police chase ended at a busy intersection in
neighboring Broward County.
Prosecutors said Mateo fired the shots that killed Ordonez. The
two robbers and a passerby were also killed in a hail of gunfire
at an intersection in Miramar, Florida.
Footage from a body camera that was played in court showed
Mateo's pursuit of the UPS truck that afternoon. His partner
could be seen in the passenger seat with a long gun drawn. The
video also showed Mateo approaching the UPS truck. He emptied
his firearm's magazine, reloaded and then pulled Ordonez from
the vehicle.
The judge ruled the officers had reason to believe deadly force
was necessary to end the confrontation.
The four officers are currently suspended from the their jobs.
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