It’s been more than four years since a shootout between Miami-Dade police and two armed suspects, who hijacked a UPS truck, left two innocent people dead in the crossfire.
But for the family of Frank Ordonez, one of the victims, the years have felt eternal.
“It’s been a long four years of suffering and waiting and waiting. More than four years, grieving,” Joe Merino, Ordonez’s stepfather, told NBC6 on Monday. “We miss him. We all miss him. We miss him not being around.”
The Miami-Dade Police Benevolent Association confirmed Monday that four officers had been indicted in the Dec. 5, 2019 shootout, which also left bystander Richard Cutshaw dead.
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Ordonez was driving the UPS truck when he was taken hostage in Coral Gables by two armed robbery suspects who got inside and led police on a chase across two counties, which ended in a shooting in Miramar between officers and the suspects.
“Hopefully if they get convicted, then it’s the justice we’ve been waiting for. We’re not at peace, none of us are at peace. We lost Frank,” Merino said.
Three of the officers will face one count of manslaughter, a source told NBC6. The fourth officer will reportedly face two counts of manslaughter.
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"I just hope that there’s justice. I really do," Ordonez's sister Genevie Merino said. "We all want closure and peace. We haven’t had that."
She says she’ll never forget the day her family found out the father of two was killed.
"My mom she just dropped to the floor. I’m never going to forget. I heard her scream," Genevie said.
Meanwhile, the Police Benevelant Association also reacted in a statement.
"We’re extremely disappointed that after almost five years, these officers are finding themselves indicted for something they had seconds to decide. It sends a chilling effect to officers in Broward County, that their State Attorney’s Office prosecutes one officer for not responding to an active shooter and now indicting officers for responding to active shooters," the statement read.
The grand jury indictment is sealed for now and is expected to be unsealed when the officers surrender.
