“They killed him in the living room, they killed him unjustly.” With those words, amid tears and tremors, the Cuban Yudimí Rodríguez described the moment she witnessed her son die during a police operation in her own home in Miami-Dade County.
Her testimony, recorded by Telemundo 51, shows a devastated mother who claims she does not understand why armed agents stormed her home and ended up shooting her son.
Rodríguez stated that it all began while the family was sleeping in their home located at 15513 SW 102nd Court, in the Palmetto Estates community. She, her husband, their three children—one of whom is only three years old—and her mother.
According to his account, the SWAT agents broke down the door of the house, forcibly removed them, and within seconds, he heard the gunshots that ended the young man's life.
“My three-year-old son saw how they killed his brother,” she said, sobbing. “They shot him like he was a criminal. He had nothing to do with what they were looking for.”
The family identified the deceased as Christopher Barata, 21 years old, who was a TSA (Transportation Security Administration) agent at Miami International Airport and was preparing to join the Army, according to his mother. His other son, Cristian Barata, 25 years old and also a TSA agent, was detained during the operation.
Rodríguez completely denied that his family is involved in crimes related to child pornography, the investigation that, according to the county sheriff, Rosie Cordero-Stutz, prompted the intervention at the residence.
"My children work, they don’t use drugs, they don’t have any problems. They did nothing. I don’t understand why they came in like that or why they killed him."
As the mother cried out for answers, the authorities provided the first official version. Sheriff Cordero-Stutz told local media that officers had evacuated two adults and a child before the shooting, and that a man with a gun came to the door and "confronted" the officers.
The family insisted that this did not happen. Rodríguez stated that no one tried to open the door, that her husband was subdued without explanation, and that the officers did not properly announce their entry. She also asserted that it could be a mistake, something that the sheriff rejected.
Surrounded by police tape and cameras, Yudimí could barely stand. "In an instant, they destroyed my life, my home", she said, repeating the same phrase over and over: "They killed him, they killed him."
As is the case whenever officers are involved in a shooting, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has taken over the investigation. The family has indicated that they will take legal action to clarify what happened.
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