MIRAMAR, Fla. – Two years ago, four people were killed. The families of the dead marked the painful anniversary on Sunday by participating in a vigil, without knowing who fired the shot that killed their loved ones.
Two of them were accused of a burglary of a jewelry store in Coral Gables. They were also accused of trying to get away from police officers in a stolen UPS truck. Their kidnapping victim, 27-year-old UPS driver Frank Ordonez, and Rick Curshaw, 70, a driver who got caught in the crossfire on his way home from work.
“It’s so painful,” said Genevie Merino, the sister of Ordonez. “I don’t wish that upon anybody, at all. Not having your brother, not having that companionship anymore, it just hurts.”
In September, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement handed the investigation over to the Broward State Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors must now determine if anyone will face charges.
The police chase ended with a police-involved shooting in Miramar involving 20 officers, according to state investigators.
Countless questions still haunt Ordonez’s stepfather, Joe Merino, who were among the relatives at a Sunday night vigil at the site of the shooting.
“In plain daylight rush hour! Where was protocol? Where was SWAT? Where was the hostage negotiator? Where was the sniper?” Joe Merino said.
Families of the victims who were killed and hurt during the rush hour shootout have spent these two years waiting to see if anyone will be held responsible.
“All we ask is for justice for him and his girls and our family because we miss him a lot,” Genevie Merino said.