Stand your ground hearings have concluded for a suspended Miami-Dade police officer, one of four charged with manslaughter in connection with a deadly rush-hour shooting in 2019 on Miramar Parkway.

Before the defense rested, officer Jose Mateo declined to take the stand.

"Is your decision still not to testify?" asked the judge.

"Yes it is, your honor," Mateo replied.

Mateo is accused of shooting UPS driver Frank Ordonez, who was being held hostage inside his truck after two suspects hijacked it following a heist in Coral Gables that led police on a chase. Mateo is trying to clear his name.

His attorney said Florida case law shows that stand your ground still applies even if an innocent bystander is hurt as a result.

Defense testimony highlights police training

This was the final day of testimony for the defense. The judge said he did not need to hear closing arguments.

The defense called Sgt. Manuel Malgor of the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, who described law enforcement training for crisis situations like the 2019 shooting.

"Time is of the essence. The importance of getting in there and neutralizing that threat to stop that attacker. What we've learned is that the sooner we can do that the more lives we can save," Malgor testified.

Prosecutors play body camera video

On Wednesday, prosecutors played body camera footage from the day of the shooting, showing 200 rounds fired into the UPS truck while Ordonez was inside. Prosecutors argued stand your ground does not apply because two of the victims were not aggressors.

A witness also testified that police opened fire first.

"I just froze. I was in shock. I didn't expect police to open up fire," the witness said.

Ordonez's brother, Roy, reacted to the testimony and called for accountability.

"We find comfort in knowing that God's gonna judge him for what he did," Roy said.

Judge to issue written ruling

The judge said that if the case goes to trial, it will likely start this month. But before that, he must rule on the stand your ground argument. He did not provide a timeline and said the decision will come as a written order, not from the bench.