"Stand your ground" hearing underway for Miami-Dade officers in deadly UPS truck shootout
A high-profile "stand your ground" hearing is underway in Broward County for three Miami-Dade police officers charged with manslaughter following a deadly shootout on Miramar Parkway nearly six years ago.
Officers Rodolfo Mirabal, Richard Santiesteban, and Leslie Lee are facing charges in connection with the December 5, 2019 incident, which began after two assailants hijacked a UPS truck during a Coral Gables jewelry heist. The hijacking sparked a dramatic police chase that ended in a rush-hour shootout when the truck became stuck in traffic on the busy parkway.
The confrontation left UPS driver Frank Ordonez and innocent bystander Richard Cutshaw dead. After a lengthy investigation, Mirabal, Santiesteban, Lee, and a fourth officer, Jose Mateo, were indicted on manslaughter charges.
Last September, a judge dismissed the manslaughter charge against Mateo, ruling the state's stand your ground law applied in his case. The Broward State Attorney's Office is now appealing that decision.
During Monday's hearing, prosecutors called FBI Special Agent Jose Loureiro, the crime scene team leader, as their sole witness. Loureiro described the evidence collected at the scene in the wake of the shooting. Defense attorneys for the officers questioned him closely, seeking to challenge the thoroughness and conclusions of the investigation.
Prosecutors argue that stand your ground should not apply, asserting that neither Ordonez nor Cutshaw were the aggressors in the confrontation. The hearing is expected to continue throughout the week.