What to Know
- The chase began with a jewelry store robbery in Coral Gables, where a woman was struck in the head by a ricocheting bullet.
- The suspects led police on a chase on Interstate 75 and the truck exited the highway and drove into Miramar.
- Police converged on the truck at a stop light, opening fire from behind the cars of innocent bystanders.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement appealed Monday for anyone who witnessed or has video of last week's shootout between police and the hijackers of a UPS truck to contact the agency.
The shooting is being investigated by the state agency in part because it involved four police agencies and more than a dozen officers, whose chase of the UPS truck ended Thursday in a torrent of gunfire. Both suspects, the UPS driver and a passing motorist were killed during the shooting at a busy intersection during rush hour in southwestern Broward County.
On Monday, a public viewing was held for the UPS driver, Frank Ordonez.
Friends and family showed their respect for the 27-year-old father of two at Vior funeral home in Miami.
"The outpouring nationally is overwhelming," Ordonez's stepfather, Joe Merino, says.
Local
Ordonez was also honored at a vigil Sunday night.
The tight-knit UPS community organized the event where friends and coworkers showered Ordonez's personal car with flowers, candles, and cards.
The vehicle was parked outside the UPS facility in northwest Miami-Dade. It was exactly where Ordonez left it before heading to work that Thursday.
The chase began with a jewelry store robbery in Coral Gables, where a woman was struck in the head by a ricocheting bullet. Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Jerome Hill, 41-year-old cousins, fled the store, hijacked Ordonez, and led police on a chase on Interstate 75. The truck exited the highway and drove into Miramar. Police converged on the truck at a stop light, opening fire from behind the cars of innocent bystanders. Richard Cutshaw, 70, was killed in his vehicle as he waited at the light.
The chase and final shootout were broadcast live on television, including the moment when one of the men tumbled out of the truck, mortally wounded. News coverage included videos taken by motorists.
FDLE's phone number is 786-336-1197.
