Frank Ordonez, a father of two young girls, was the UPS driver who was taken hostage by two armed robbers and later killed during a shootout with police in Miramar, friends and family members have confirmed.
» PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 4 dead after police chase with stolen UPS truck
Ordonez had worked with UPS for five years, his brother told Miami Herald news partner CBS4.
Thursday was his first day on the job as a driver.
"We are deeply saddened to learn a UPS service provider was a victim of this senseless act of violence. We extend our condolences to the family and friends of our employee and the other innocent victims involved in the incident," UPS said in a statement.
"We appreciate law enforcement's service and will cooperate with the authorities as they continue the investigation."
Credit: Facebook photo
Credit: Facebook photo
Police say the two suspects hijacked the UPS truck after a robbery at a Coral Gables jewelry store Thursday afternoon. They then led police on a harrowing cross-county chase up Interstate-95 that ended Thursday night in a dramatic and deadly shootout on a busy street in Miramar.
The chase from Coral Gables to Miramar and the final firefight were broadcast live by TV news helicopters.
Both robbers were shot and killed. A bystander who was inside an idle car at the scene also died in the crossfire, the FBI confirmed Thursday night.
Police identified the robbery suspects as 41-year-old cousins Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Jerome Hill.
True Homestead, a local Facebook group, shared condolences online shortly after the shooting.
"No one goes to work thinking they won't return," True Homestead, a local Facebook group wrote shortly after the shoot out. "It breaks our hearts his (Ordonez's) loved ones watched it unfold on live TV, very sad. Sending love and prayers to your family."
Ordonez's brother Roy has created a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for a lawyer, funeral costs and to support his three and five-year-old daughters.
"He didn't deserve to die the way he did, he was just going to work to provide for his two little girls, which he loved so much, which are now left without a father," his brother wrote on the page.
There were many other outpourings of grief and support for Ordonez and his family on social media.
Police actions questioned
Ordonez's family said the father of two was filling in on someone else’s route Thursday when the robbery suspects commandeered his truck.
“I saw on TV when he fell, and I knew it was him. I saw how they killed my brother,” Luis Ordonez told The Associated Press on Friday.
He said the “police were insane. Instead of talking to them, they just started shooting. I know they (the robbery suspects) were shooting back at them, but it was easy to just cover behind police cars. They could have just covered themselves."
FBI Special Agent in Charge George Piro was asked at a news conference Thursday night whether either the UPS driver or the other victim could have been killed by police bullets.
“It is very, very early on in the investigation and it would be completely inappropriate to discuss that,” Piro said. “We have just began to process the crime scene. As you can imagine, this is going to be a very complicated crime scene.”
“It’s very early in the investigative process,” Piro added. “There are a lot of questions that are still unanswered.”
A fundraising appeal by Ordonez’s brother Roy accused the officers of being “trigger happy” and said “they could have killed many more people.”
Multiple agencies were involved in the chase and the final shootout. But the Coral Gables Police Chief, Ed Hudak, suggested that the blame belongs with the robbery suspects.
“This is what dangerous people do to get away,” Hudak said. “And this is what people will do to avoid capture.”
Thor Eells, executive director of the National Tactical Officers Association, said officers confronting the boxed-in UPS truck faced a tough situation. The robbers appeared to be firing at them, endangering not only Ordonez but dozens of people in the surrounding cars. He said the officers had to stop the suspects by containing them to the UPS truck and returning fire.
"We have a situation with one hostage and the two suspects — what happens if one of them runs 10 feet and takes over a city bus with 50 riders? Now we have a situation that is 50 times worse," Eells told the AP. Had the truck stopped in an isolated area, officers could have pulled back and negotiated, but not in the middle of a crowded urban street, he said.
“With all due empathy to the family, the officers had a responsibility not only to the safety of the hostage but everyone in proximity,” Eells said.
— Associated Press writers Adriana Gomez Licon, Terry Spencer and Curt Anderson contributed information that was used in this report.
About the Author
