ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered U.S. and Florida flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the memory of a Miami police officer killed in the line of duty.
Flags at the Miami-Dade Police Department, the Miami-Dade County Courthouse, and the City Hall of Miami will be flown like this from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday for Detective Cesar "Echy" Echaverry, according to a news release.
"Detective Echaverry will be remembered for his selfless courage to protect the lives of others at the cost of his own," DeSantis said in a statement.
On Aug. 17, Echaverry died from his injuries after being shot in the head while trying to stop a suspected robber.
The incident happened that Monday when he and other officers closed in a man wanted for an earlier robbery in nearby Broward County, police said. His family had remained by his side at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital.
“Officer Echaverry died in the line of duty while serving & protecting our community,” Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez tweeted. “Our law enforcement family will continue to stand beside & support the Echaverry family through this difficult time.”
Police said Echavarry and other officers began pursuing a white vehicle involved in an earlier armed robbery when its driver tried to flee, ramming into police vehicles and a civilian vehicle whose three occupants were hospitalized in stable condition.
He then tried to escape on foot, but a confrontation and gunfire ensued. The driver, identified as Jeremy Horton, 32, of Acworth, Georgia, was shot and died at the scene.
Horton had been stopped in South Florida on Aug. 8 and cited for having no proof of insurance and driving with an expired tag and a suspended Georgia driver's license, according to Golden Beach Police Chief Rudy Herbello.
Echaverry had been with Miami-Dade Police for five years and was assigned to the department's robbery intervention detail. His friends told the Miami Herald he was moving up and planned to get married.