Detective Cesar Echaverry, 29, was shot in the head on August 15, 2022, during an attempt to apprehend a suspect tied to an armed robbery in Broward County. Echaverry served with the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Robbery Intervention Detail, a unit assigned to high-crime areas. The suspect vehicle had been linked to an armed robbery in Dania Beach; the suspect, identified as Jimmie Horton, led officers on a high-speed chase that ended near NW 62nd Street and 10th Avenue in Miami. Horton exited the vehicle and fled on foot, and an altercation followed in which shots were fired. Horton was killed at the scene; Echaverry was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center and died of his wounds on August 17, 2022.

The department and community publicly mourned Echaverry as the first officer killed in the line of duty under the current administration. Colleagues and local leaders attended his funeral, remembering him as humble, compassionate, and hardworking. The department’s review concluded Horton was the primary suspect in the armed robbery and said protocols were followed during the pursuit and confrontation. If anyone has information about the events that night or knew Detective Echaverry, please share what you know.