FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The family of a UPS driver killed in a 2019 shootout in Miramar appeared in Broward County court on Tuesday for the “stand your ground” hearing of a police officer charged with manslaughter in connection with the incident.
Body-worn camera video from Miami-Dade police showed the moments officers surrounded a UPS truck with its innocent driver and two armed men as a hail of gunfire rang out.
From above, the court was shown how dozens of officers from multiple agencies moved in. Ultimately, Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Hill — who had just robbed a Coral Gables jewelry store — were shot and killed, along with UPS delivery driver Frank Ordonez and bystander Richard Cutshaw.
Ordonez’s mother and stepfather saw for the first time the moments their loved one’s life was taken.
“It is heartbreaking. Very heartbreaking,” stepfather Joe Merino said. “As you can see, my wife had to leave the court in tears.”
At the center of the hearing is suspended Miami-Dade then-Officer Jose Mateo.
His attorney is trying to prove under the “stand your ground” statute that Mateo, along with 20 other officers, had no choice but to return fire on Alexander and Hill. Merino, however, believes the situation could have been avoided.
“I am having a hard time trying to understand ‘stand your ground,’” he said. “I think with a (hostage) negotiator, they would’ve released Frank.”
On the stand for the second day was Alex Villanueva, a retired Florida Department of Law Enforcement special agent who investigated the case.
“It would be Officer Mateo with Miami-Dade PD. He would be located near the driver left rear portion of vehicle one,” Villanueva testified.
In court, Mateo’s position was shown along with three other officers now facing manslaughter charges after they opened fire that day. The state is trying to convince a judge that their actions were negligent and that the innocent victims were not posing a threat when they were shot by law enforcement.
“It says a lot. The video says it all. Says exactly the actions that were taken,” Merino said.
The state has 25 witnesses — 14 civilians and 11 law enforcement officers or experts.
If the judge rules in Mateo’s favor, the manslaughter charge would be dismissed. If he rules in the state’s favor, a trial date for the manslaughter charge would be set later.
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