Stand Your Ground Hearing: Officer Jose Matteo's 2019 Shootout Case

Stand Your Ground Hearing

• ⚖️ The hearing for suspended Miami-Dade officer Jose Matteo is underway, with the defense aiming to have his manslaughter charge dismissed under the stand your ground statute.
• 🎯 Matteo is seeking to convince the judge that he fired his weapon in self-defense during a 2019 shootout in Miramar.

State's Case and Witness Testimony

• 🚓 The state called two Miami-Dade police officers to the stand, attempting to demonstrate that the officers had alternative options besides firing their weapons.
• 💥 A state witness, an unidentified officer, testified about firing into a UPS truck occupied by armed men, stating they received a threat from an individual with a firearm.
• ❓ This witness could not confirm if they were shot at first, but reported seeing a subject in the passenger side lean over and point a gun in their direction.

Use of Force and Fatalities

• ⚠️ The testimony also addressed whether the officers followed the department's use of force policies during the incident.
• tragically, the shootout resulted in the deaths of four individuals: Lamar Alexander, Ronnie Hill, Frank Ordonius, and Rick Cutshaw, who was an innocent bystander.
• 🔫 Officer Samantha Machado testified that while she did not fire her weapon in Miramar, she did shoot at armed men during a pursuit on I-75, stating she fired when a subject pointed a gun at her.

Ongoing Proceedings

• 🗓️ The hearing has adjourned for the evening, with testimony expected to continue tomorrow morning.
• 📰 Local 10 News will continue to cover the proceedings and report on further developments.