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4 Florida police officers charged in 2019 shooting that killed a UPS driver and a bystander – 104.5 WOKV

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MIRAMAR, Fla. – A Florida grand jury has indicted four current and former police officers in connection with a 2019 shooting in Miramar that left two innocent men dead, including a kidnapped UPS driver.

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Rodolfo Mirabal, 39, was charged with two counts of manslaughter with a firearm in connection with the deaths of kidnapped UPS driver Frank Ordonez, 27, and passerby Richard Cutshaw, 70, on Dec. 5, 2019. Broward County prosecutors said the other officers, Jose Mateo, 32, Richard Santiesteban, 33, and Leslie Lee, 57, were charged with manslaughter with a firearm in connection with Ordonez’s death.

The fatal shooting came at the end of a 20-mile (32-kilometer) chase that began when cousins ​​Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Jerome Hill, both 41, hijacked Ordonez’s UPS truck during a robbery in Coral Gables.

Death of a UPS driver Robbery suspects Ronnie Hill, left, and Lamar Alexander were killed in a shootout on Dec. 5, 2019, after they stole a UPS driver’s truck and led police on a chase that ended with gunfire at a busy intersection in Miramar, Fla. UPS driver Frank Ordonez and another motorist waiting at the intersection were also killed. (Florida Department of Corrections via AP)

Alexander and Hill were also killed in the shooting, but the officers were not charged in their deaths.

The defendants, who turned themselves in on Friday and Saturday, were released on bail, Broward County District Attorney Harold Pryor said.

Pryor said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI conducted a comprehensive investigation into the officers and the circumstances of the shooting, which occurred during rush hour at a busy intersection.

“The decision whether to use deadly force is one of the most serious and consequential decisions a police officer can make,” Pryor said. “We know that these decisions are often made under difficult and uncertain circumstances.”

The timing and location of the shooting played a role when the case was presented to a grand jury, which handed down indictments earlier this month. Prosecutors announced the charges Saturday night.

“Given the enormity of the shooting in this incident at an extremely busy intersection with many civilian motorists and pedestrians, we have presented the findings of these agencies to the grand jury,” Pryor said. “Although the process has been lengthy, we believe the grand jury was necessary to ensure we get answers for the victims’ families and the community.”

The Associated Press reported in 2019 that the bloodshed began when Coral Gables police officers responded to a silent alarm at Regent Jewelers. When officers arrived, Alexander and Hill were inside the store and shots had been fired.

The suspected robbers fled in an unidentified vehicle but later hijacked Ordonez’s van and drove it to Broward County, the AP reported.

Death of a UPS driver A bullet-riddled UPS delivery truck is seen at the scene of a police-involved shooting in Miramar, Florida, on December 5, 2019. Robbery suspects Ronnie Hill and Lamar Alexander were shot and killed by police, as were UPS driver Frank Ordonez and another motorist. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The chase continued through red lights and several near misses until the stolen truck reached the intersection of Miramar Parkway and Flamingo Road, where a wall of vehicles waiting at a red light forced the hijackers to stop.

As news helicopters circled overhead, gunfire broke out between officers and the suspects.

“This is what dangerous people do to escape,” Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak said at the time. “And this is what people do to avoid arrest.”

Death of a UPS driver The car of a slain motorist is seen at the scene of a police-involved shooting in Miramar, Florida, on December 5, 2019. Robbery suspects Ronnie Hill and Lamar Alexander were shot and killed by police, as were UPS driver Frank Ordonez and the driver of the car. (AP/Bryn Anderson)

It was initially unclear whether the fatal shots came from the suspected robbers or the officers.

The Miami Herald reported that two of the officers, Mateo and Mirabal, are still employed by the Miami-Dade Police Department. They were part of the department’s Priority Response Team when the shooting occurred.

Lee, who worked on the Special Response Team, retired at the end of 2021, according to the Herald. Santiesteban was fired earlier this month before charges were filed. He was a member of the Robbery Intervention Detail Unit.

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