Never-before-seen police dashcam video captured a harrowing 2019 officer-involved shootout in Miramar that left several people dead, including the driver of a UPS truck. That victim’s brother shares his anger and anguish about the incident and the ongoing investigation.
It has been three and a half years since 27-year-old Frank Ordonez lost his life after his truck was hijacked by armed robbers in Coral Gables.
Dashcam footage provided to 7News captured the heart-stopping moments when the suspects and police officers exchanged gunfire north of the county line, along Miramar Parkway, just east of Flamingo Road, on Dec. 5, 2019.
The camera is said to belong to one of the first Miami-Dade Police officers on the scene, following a 30-mile chase into Miramar and a botched robbery at Regent Jewelers on Miracle Mile.
Authorities said the two robbers kidnapped Ordonez prior to the deadly encounter on Miramar Parkway.
The dashcam audio picked up officer chatter before the cruiser’s driver got out and appeared to fire at the delivery truck along with several other officers.
The footage doesn’t show whether shots were also fired from inside the UPS truck.
Many more bullets were blasted in the middle of busy rush hour traffic.
Ordonez was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 7News crew showed the dashcam video to Roy Ordonez, the victim’s brother, at his Hialeah home on Thursday.
“His daughters don’t get to grow up with a father now,” he said as he broke down in tears.
Roy and his family are still devastated over the tragedy.
“My daughters have me, but Frank’s daughters don’t,” he said.
They’re also furious that the incident and Miami-Dade Police officers’ tactics are still under review.
“Just ended up killing everybody, you know. There’s no order there, just complete chaos,” said Roy.
The day after the shootout, 7News spoke with then Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez, who later retired.
“If the subject wouldn’t have shot, no shots would have rung. None would have gone out,” he said. “My understanding is that [the suspects] shot first.”
But Roy doesn’t see it that way.
“It seems like to me like the officers were the first ones to fire,” he said.
Along with Ordonez, the two robbers, both ex-convicts in their 40s, were killed in the truck. So was 70-year-old Richard Cutshaw, an innocent bystander who was driving when he was caught in the crossfire.
“Just like everybody else, trying to make it home to their family,” said Roy.
Ordonez’s family members said they want to know what’s causing the results of their review to take this long.
7News reached out to the Broward State Attorney’s Office. Their response reads in part, “[The Florida Department of Law Enforcement] turned over its investigation to the State Attorney’s Office on Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021. The investigation and review are continuing … We can’t speculate on when it will be concluded.”
When when asked whether he has a message for the Broward SAO, Roy replied, “I want them to do the right thing. They have the chance to make things right.”
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