Defense Seeks Dismissal of Manslaughter Case Against Miami-Dade Deputy

Court Hearing for Manslaughter Case

• ⚖️ A hearing concluded regarding a manslaughter charge against Miami-Dade police officer Jose Matteo, stemming from a 2019 fatal police shooting.
• 🎯 The defense is seeking to have the manslaughter charge dismissed.
• 🗓️ A Broward County judge will make a ruling within two weeks.

Defense Arguments and Witnesses

• 🗣️ The defense called witnesses who testified to hearing shots fired from a UPS truck during the incident.
• 🚗 Driver Liz Marie Deno testified to hearing shots but could not identify the source.
• 👨‍✈️ Sergeant Manuel Malgore, reviewing the officers' response, stated Officer Matteo's actions were "textbook" for an active shooter scenario.
• 🎬 Defense presented video evidence showing subjects firing at officers from the UPS truck, characterized by Malgore as a "gunshot" with visible muzzle flash and recoil.

State's Counterarguments

• 💥 The state argued there is no forensic evidence to support claims of shots fired from the UPS truck.
• 👥 Concerns were raised that innocent victims, including the UPS driver and a motorist, could have been hit by "contagious fire" from law enforcement.
• 🎯 Over 200 rounds were fired by law enforcement during the incident.

Co-defendants and Future Proceedings

• 🧑‍⚖️ Three co-defendants of Officer Matteo have not yet filed a motion to dismiss, likely awaiting the outcome of this case.
• 📜 They may file a motion to dismiss under the "stand your ground" statute.