BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — A witness testified Thursday in the “stand your ground” hearing for a suspended Miami-Dade police officer involved in a 2019 Miramar shootout that left four people dead.
Prosecutors argued that officers had other options during the confrontation, while the defense said Jose Mateo and fellow officers had no choice but to return fire in self-defense.
The state’s witness, an unidentified Miami-Dade officer who also fired at the UPS truck where armed men Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Hill held driver Frank Ordonez, 27, hostage, described how he followed departmental use-of-force policies before firing.
The witness said he fired his weapon only after being shot at first by the suspects.
State: “What did you see when you responded? When you discharged your firearm?
”Witness: “I was offset to the right view of the passenger door and I perceived the threat and I acquired the target and discharged my firearm.”
State: “What kind of threat did you receive?
Witness: “An individual with a firearm ... He already discharged his firearm, sir.”
State: “He discharged it?”
Witness: “Yes.”
The shooting killed Alexander and Hill, along with Ordonez and bystander Rick Cutshaw, who authorities said was caught in traffic during the crossfire.
Testimony lasted for most of the morning, with the defense preparing to cross-examine the officer.
Mateo’s attorneys hope the judge will rule that he acted in self-defense and dismiss the manslaughter charge.
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