MIAMI (WSVN) - A Miami-Dade Police officer continues to fight for his life after he was shot and taken to the hospital in critical condition.
At a press conference, Tuesday, police identified the injured officer as 29-year-old Cesar Echaverry.
Late Monday night and into Tuesday morning, a crush of police cruisers were outside Jackson Memorial Hospital as one upset officer was seen repeatedly slamming the hood of a police SUV and letting out a curse.
At around 8:15 p.m., Monday, Miami-Dade Police officers were dispatched to the area of Northwest 17th Avenue and 62nd Street to assist in a Liberty City neighborhood with a barricaded armed robbery suspect.
Over police radio, a responding officer could be heard saying, “62 and 17. Units that are coming from the east, avoid that. They need to come either north or south on 17 Avenue. The east side is going to be a hot side. They’re going to have a barricaded subject with a firearm.”
Officials said robbery intervention detail officers had located a white car that was involved in an armed robbery in the area of Northwest Seventh Avenue and 62nd Street and the subject refused to exit the vehicle.
According to police, the subject fled, hit an officer’s vehicle and crashed head-on into a civilian vehicle with three people in the car in the area of Northwest Seventh Avenue and 62nd Street.
The suspect fled the crash on foot, armed with a gun. A shootout ensued with over two dozen shots fired.
The shooting injured Echaverry and left the suspect dead on the scene.
“I-95 needs to be shut down completely reference an officer down,” said a dispatch officer over the police radio. “We’re working an officer down. All units, county units respond 315s. Shut down the area of I-95 and Northwest 7 until the officer can make it to JMH.”
The civilians were transported to an area hospital in good condition for observation.
The officer, however, was in grave condition, according to MDPD.
Police released this statement on Twitter:
— Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) August 16, 2022
The law enforcement community was seen holding prayer circles, just to the west of the shooting scene and at the diagnostic center at Jackson.
Later in the night, MDPD Director Alfredo Ramirez and Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava asked for the community’s support.
“A Miami-Dade police officer, member of the robbery intervention detail, was critically shot by an armed subject while protecting his community,” said Ramirez. “I just asked our fellow officers to stand as one. Our fire department to stand as one for the officer and the family, and I ask our community to please stand as one and pray.”
“We are here in solidarity, waiting patiently. The officer is in critical condition, and all we can do now is wait and pray,” said Levine Cava. “We ask all of you to join us in prayers and support for the family and for the entire law enforcement community that is on vigil, is on standby during this difficult time.”
She also tweeted a statement:
State attorney Kathy Rundle said she sent prosecutors to the scene to investigate all aspects of the shooting.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently leading the investigation.
As a result of this shooting, a traffic alert was issued to avoid Northwest Seventh Avenue, as it was closed in both directions between Northwest 60th Street and 64th Street until about noon Tuesday.
The road has since re-opened.
Meanwhile, officials hold out hope for their wounded brother. “We have hard days ahead of us,” said Ramirez. “We have to do this together as one, as a community as a law enforcement family.”
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