Detective Cesar Echaverry
MIAMI - A police honor guard, standing shoulder to shoulder, will line the path Thursday as the body of Miami-Dade Detective Cesar Echaverry is taken from Jackson Memorial Hospital to the Medical Examiner's Office across the street.
Echaverry, 29, was shot Monday night while trying to arrest a suspect tied to an armed robbery in Dania Beach. He was taken to Jackson Memorial where he died on Wednesday.
"Officer Echaverry died in the line of duty while serving & protecting our community. Our law enforcement family will continue to stand beside & support the Echaverry family through this difficult time. We'll never forget Officer Echaverry's bravery & sacrifice. Godspeed, brother," wrote Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez in a statement.
He is the first officer to be shot and killed in the line of duty under both Mayor Daniela Levine Cava and Director Ramirez.
Echaverry was with the department's Robbery Intervention Detail (RID, which works in some of the county's most crime-ridden neighborhoods.
According to police, RID detectives spotted a vehicle that was involved in the Dania Beach armed robbery in the area of NW 62 Street and NW 17 Avenue.
CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald reports they pulled the driver over, but he refused to get out of the vehicle.
In an attempt to escape, the driver sped off, striking the detectives' vehicles.
The officers gave chase before it came to an end near NW 62 Street and 10 Avenue. The suspects then bailed out of the vehicle.
"An altercation ensued and shots were fired resulting in both the officer and subject shot," according to a police press release.
Echaverry was shot in the head, while the suspect, Jimmie Horton, was killed.
Horton's alleged accomplice in the Dania Beach robbery was shot and killed by police at Miami Springs hotel on Tuesday evening when they went to take him into custody.
Echaverry is the 24th Miami-Dade officer in the department's history to die after a shootout. He is the first South Florida police officer killed since Hollywood police officer Yandy Chirino was shot to death on October 18, 2021.
The last Miami-Dade police officers to die in a shootout with a suspect were Detectives Amanda Haworth and Roger Castillo. They were shot and killed in 2011 while trying to arrest a fugitive. That shooting was about half a mile from where Echaverry was shot.
Echaverry was an organ donor, even in death, he continued to serve the community and help people.