DORAL, Fla. – Dozens of officers gathered Tuesday in Doral to honor the lives of two slain detectives who were ambushed while they were serving a murder warrant at a home in Liberty City four years ago.
Amanda Haworth and Roger Castillo were serving an arrest warrant at the home of Johnny Simms on Jan. 20, 2011, when Simms, who was wanted on a murder charge, opened fire, killing the Miami-Dade police detectives.
"When I confronted him, he fired rounds at me. I returned fire, and he went down," Oscar Plasencia, a retired detective, told Local 10 News. "It could've been me. It could've been the other detective."
During a ceremony of remembrance at the Miami-Dade Police Department headquarters, officers and family members of the slain officers witnessed history as the department announced a new award that would be given on an annual basis to the top detective.
The Castillo-Haworth Warrants Bureau Detective Award was given to Plasencia, who fought back tears while he talked about the fallen officers.
"It keeps the memory of Roger and Amanda alive," he said.
Haworth's son, Austin Haworth, spoke with members of the media about the award.
"It means a lot," he told Local 10 News. "It really shows that when they said they would never forget that they meant it."
Castillo's family asked for privacy during the ceremony.
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