A Broward County judge has ruled that a police officer will not face prosecution for the 2019 shooting death of UPS driver Frank Ordonez, who was taken hostage during a robbery and police chase.
Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra found Thursday that officer Jose Mateo was justified under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, which protects individuals who use deadly force when they believe it is necessary to prevent death or great harm.
Mateo had been charged with manslaughter for firing the shots that killed Ordonez during the chaotic standoff in Miramar. A bystander, Richard Cutshaw, was also killed in the crossfire, along with the two robbery suspects.
The Broward State Attorney’s Office said it will appeal, arguing the immunity law should not shield officers in cases where “innocent bystanders, like Frank Ordonez and Richard Cutshaw, who presented no danger, were killed.”
The deadly chain of events began on Dec. 5, 2019, when two armed men robbed a jewelry store in Miami-Dade County, hijacked Ordonez’s delivery truck, and forced him to drive. The pursuit ended at a packed Broward intersection during rush hour, where police opened fire.
Body-camera footage presented in court showed Mateo pursuing the UPS truck, firing his weapon repeatedly, reloading, and later pulling Ordonez from the vehicle.
Judge Kollra concluded Mateo reasonably believed deadly force was required to stop the threat, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
Mateo remains suspended from duty. Prosecutors say cases against three other officers charged with manslaughter will still proceed.
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