HIALEAH, Fla. – On December 5, 2019, Frank Ordonez was shot and killed in a Broward County shootout on Miramar Parkway.
The UPS driver was hijacked by two robbers in Miami Dade County, the pair had robbed a Coral Gables jewelry store before kidnapping Ordonez.
The three were on a high-speed chase with multiple police agencies in rush-hour traffic.
Finally, a barrage of gunfire would end it all, killing the robbers, Ordonez and bystander 70-year-old Rick Cutshaw who was sitting in traffic. Police say at least 20 members of law enforcement fired their weapons toward the truck.
“They murdered Frank,” says Joe Merino, Frank Ordonez’s stepfather.
Frank was only 27 years old and the father of two little girls who still ask about him all the time, according to Merino.
Three years have passed since the shooting and the family is pained with grief and in search of justice.
Merino said they lost their civil case and want criminal charges filed for Ordonez’s death.
“This was plain negligence, it was negligence, and everyone could see it was negligence. They made a lot of mistakes.” Merino said.
After the shooting, The Florida Department of Law Enforcement opened an investigation into the shooting. In September of 2021, the investigation was completed. The findings were handed over to the State Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors are tasked with deciding if the case should go to a Grand Jury.
Local 10 News emailed the State Attorney’s Office for an update. It simply replied:
“The FDLE investigation is under review by prosecutors.”
It is unknown when a decision will be made on a possible Grand Jury or when the findings of the investigation will be released to the public