2019 Miramar shootout

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2019 Miramar shootout
Miramar is located in Florida
Miramar
Miramar
Miramar (Florida)
LocationMiramar, Florida, United States
DateDecember 5, 2019 (2019-12-05)
Deaths4 (including both perpetrators)
Injured1
PerpetratorsLamar Alexander
Ronnie Jerome Hill

On December 5, 2019, a police pursuit of jewelry store robbers in Miramar, Florida, United States, culminated in a shootout, killing the perpetrators, the kidnapped driver of a UPS van (which they had carjacked), and a bystander. The crime scene was described as "very complicated" by the FBI special agent in charge.[1] The president of Miami-Dade's police union claimed that at least eleven officers opened fire on the UPS truck in response to the robbers' firing first.[2]

Robbery[]

At approximately 4:14 p.m., Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Jerome Hill robbed the jewelry store, Regent Jeweler at Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, Florida.[3] They held the store's cashier at gunpoint and stole diamonds. The two suspects exchanged gunfire with the store owner during the robbery,[4] injuring one jewelry shop worker and hitting nearby Coral Gables City Hall with a stray bullet, causing that building to be placed on lock down.[5][6]

Police were alerted when the store's silent alarm system went off. Ninety seconds later, when officers arrived, the gunmen opened fire on the officers, who then returned fire on the gunmen. The gunmen left in a U-Haul van, which they later ditched in a suburban neighborhood one mile away.[7] The suspects then carjacked a UPS delivery truck at gunpoint and took the driver hostage. The two continued their escape in the UPS truck, heading on Interstate 75 into Broward County.[5]

Shootout[]

Several police cars pursued the suspects until the UPS truck became boxed in by slow-moving rush hour traffic in Miramar, about 20 miles (32 km) north of the jewelry store.[8] Police then took cover behind the cars of bystanders as the suspects opened fire.[8] A total of nineteen officers returned fire on the suspects, including thirteen members of the Miami-Dade Police Department. The other six officers were from the Miramar Police Department and the Pembroke Pines Police Department.[9] The pursuit and shootout were broadcast live on television by news helicopters.[8]

Victims[]

Four people were killed in the shootout. Both robbery suspects, Lamar Alexander, and Ronnie Jerome Hill, both 41, were killed by police. The hijacked UPS driver, Frank Ordonez, 27, and bystander Richard Cutshaw, 70, were also both killed in the shootout;[6] the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has not released the result of ballistics investigations that would indicate whether Ordonez and Cutshaw were shot by police or robbers.[10][11] A female store employee was shot and wounded in the initial robbery.[7][12]

Response[]

The sister of Ordonez, who had been taken hostage, expressed her anger that the police responded quickly with gunfire, and did not attempt to negotiate the hostage situation, which she believed caused her brother's death.[12] At a vigil the following year, Ordonez's brother said "The police murdered my brother on live TV and we all had to watch in horror."[13] Lawsuits were later filed on behalf of Ordonez and Cutshaw, alleging that the police agencies involved had behaved negligently.[14] The litigation stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Madrid, Manuel; Cardona, Alexi (December 6, 2019). "Everything We Know About the Miramar Shootout So Far". Miami New Times.
  2. ^ Flechas, Joey; Hanks, Douglas (December 5, 2019). "Robbery suspects, hostage and bystander killed after hijacking, dramatic police chase". Miami Herald.
  3. ^ "UPS Driver and Union Official Among 4 Killed in Shootout Outside Miami". New York Times. December 6, 2019.
  4. ^ Thebault, Reis; Marisa, Iati (December 7, 2019). "Four died in a shootout with police after a UPS truck was hijacked. Could it have been avoided?". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "UPS Driver, 3 Others Dead After Robbery Ends in Police Pursuit, Shootout". NBC 6 South Florida. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Details emerge about UPS driver killed in shootout after being taken hostage in police A year later, 2 families await answers on deadly police shootout with truck hijackerschase". www.cbsnews.com. December 6, 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  7. ^ a b Sutta, David (December 5, 2019). "Thieves Targeted Diamonds In Coral Gables Robbery That Ended In Deadly Miramar Shootout". CBS Miami.
  8. ^ a b c Gomez Licon, Adriana; Spencer, Terry; Anderson, Curt (December 7, 2019). "UPS driver's family questions police response to chase". The Miami Times. Associated Press. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  9. ^ Gearty, Robert (December 7, 2019). "South Florida cops in shootout that killed UPS driver, 3 others placed on administrative leave: reports". Fox News. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  10. ^ Spencer, Terry (September 16, 2020). "Family of UPS driver slain in police shootout files lawsuit". Associated Press. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  11. ^ Rabin, Charles; Ovalle, David (December 4, 2020). "A year later, 2 families await answers on deadly police shootout with truck hijackers". Miami Herald. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Leibowitz, Aaron; Gross, Samantha; Ovalle, David (December 6, 2019). "After Miramar shootout leaves 4 dead, a community asks: Did police get it right?". The Miami Herald. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  13. ^ Ovalle, David (2020-07-28), "'Murdered on live TV.' Family mourns slain Miami UPS driver, questions police tactics", Miami Herald, retrieved 2021-03-17
  14. ^ a b Neal, David J. (2020-09-16), "Civilian victims in UPS truck shootout sue Miami-Dade police, FHP and 4 other agencies", Miami Herald, retrieved 2021-03-17
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