A vehicle that appears to be part of the crime scene where a UPS delivery truck, carjacked after a robbery in Coral Gables, was the center of a shootout amid traffic at Flamingo Road and Miramar Parkway, Dec. 5, 2019.
ctrainor@miamiherald.com
Four Miami-Dade police officers are facing manslaughter charges from a grand jury for the deaths of a kidnapped UPS driver and a bystander stuck in the middle of a 2019 shootout, prosecutors announced on Saturday.
“Given the enormity of the gunfire in this incident at an extremely busy intersection packed with civilian motorists and pedestrians, we presented these agencies’ findings to the grand jury,” Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said in a statement.
After listening to several months of evidence, a Broward County grand jury indicted the four officers on June 6, the state attorney’s office said. The officers turned themselves in at the Broward Main Jail on Friday and Saturday.
READ MORE: Miami-Dade officers indicted in shootout that killed UPS driver to surrender next week
Rodolfo Mirabal, 39, was indicted on two counts of manslaughter with a firearm for the deaths of Frank Ordoñez, 27, the kidnapped UPS driver, and Richard Cutshaw, 70, a motorist stuck in traffic during the shooting.
Jose Mateo, 32; Richard Santiesteban, 33; and Leslie Lee, 57, were all indicted on one count each of manslaughter with a firearm for the death of Ordoñez.
“Deciding whether to use deadly force is among the most serious and consequential decisions a police officer can make,” Pryor said. “We understand that these decisions are often made during intense and uncertain circumstances.”
The quartet was released from jail per court order. If they are found guilty, the maximum penalty they could face is up to 30 years in state prison, but first-time offenders could see less.
According to personnel records, two of the officers, Mateo and Mirabal, were still employed by Miami-Dade police. They were part of the Priority Response Team when the shooting occurred.
Lee retired in late 2021 and worked on the Special Response Team, records showed and sources told the Miami Herald.
Santiesteban was fired in June before the indictment. He was a member of the Robbery Intervention Detail Unit.
“Although the process has taken a long time, we feel the grand jury was necessary to ensure we get answers for the victims’ families and the community,” Pryor said. “All of this was done with the mindset of pursuing justice. The indictment speaks for itself, and any further comments we have will be through the court process, as is our policy.”
Hail of Gunfire
In Dec. 2019, a jewelry heist turned high-speed police chase ended with a massive shootout involving more than a dozen police officers from at least three agencies at a packed intersection.
It began when Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Jerome Hill pulled off a Coral Gables heist and hijacked a UPS truck. Ordoñez, a UPS driver and father of two, was still inside when the interstate police chase started.
READ MORE: Miami-Dade officers indicted in shootout that killed UPS driver, bystander in Broward
It eventually ended with a gunfight at Miramar Parkway and Flamingo Road — the intersection was packed with cars. Ordoñez and the two suspected robbers were gunned down, as well as Rick Cutshaw, a 70-year-old local union worker, who was sitting in traffic.
READ MORE: After 3 years, families still don’t know who killed loved ones during UPS hijack shootout
Ordoñez’s family is still grappling with his death. His stepfather, Joe Merino, told the Herald what they want most is for someone to be held accountable.
“That’s what we’ve been asking for four-and-a-half years,” Merino said. “Only justice.”
Miami Herald Reporters Grethel Aguila and Charles Rabin contributed to this report.