By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- A judge in Broward County, Florida, ruled that three Miami-Dade Police Department officers cannot be prosecuted in a 2019 fatal shooting because Florida’s “stand your ground” law provided them immunity, court filings show.
- The ruling applies to officers Richard Santiesteban, Leslie Lee and Rodolfo Mirabal, who had been charged with manslaughter in the death of a UPS driver taken hostage during a robbery.
- The same judge previously cleared another officer, Jose Mateo, on similar grounds.
- Prosecutors said innocent bystanders were also killed during the confrontation and have appealed the rulings.
- All four officers remain suspended pending the outcome of appeals.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — A Broward County judge has determined that three Miami-Dade Police Department officers cannot be prosecuted for their roles in a 2019 fatal shooting because Florida’s “stand your ground” law justified their use of deadly force, according to court filings and news reports.
The ruling, issued March 24, granted immunity to officers Richard Santiesteban, Leslie Lee and Rodolfo Mirabal, who faced manslaughter charges in the death of package delivery driver Frank Ordonez, whom suspects had taken hostage during an armed robbery.
Broward Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra determined the officers “had reason to believe deadly force was necessary” to end the confrontation with armed suspects, a conclusion that shielded them from prosecution under the state’s statutory self-defense immunity framework.
The same judge previously cleared another officer, Jose Mateo, in a separate hearing under the same legal standard. Prosecutors have appealed all rulings, asserting that the immunity statute should not apply when innocent bystanders were killed, including a second victim, Richard Cutshaw.
All four officers remain suspended from duty as the appeal process continues, and the state attorney’s office said it will pursue review of the immunity determinations.