The recordings from the body cameras of the fatal shooting that occurred in Sweetwater during a domestic violence call were released on Friday by NBC6 and Telemundo 51, seven months after the incident that resulted in the death of Frank Edismaro Díaz, a man in his thirties who was threatening his pregnant wife with a knife.
According to the report by NBC6 on the shooting in Sweetwater, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office concluded its investigation last week and determined that the three officers involved acted with lethal force in a legally justified manner.
The incident occurred on March 11, around 6:25 PM, when a 911 call reported a man armed with a knife arguing with his wife, who was five months pregnant.
Four police officers from Sweetwater arrived at the residence: two entered through the front door and two through a side entrance, all heading towards the backyard where the confrontation was taking place.
Upon arrival, they found Díaz holding his wife by the neck. The woman's father was also present and was trying to separate them.
According to the prosecutor's report, Díaz had thrown several objects during the altercation, smashed a glass door, and taken two kitchen knives before the officers arrived.
The recordings capture how the police repeatedly ordered him to drop the weapon. According to the report, the instruction was given eight times before they opened fire.
"Put down the knife right now," one of the agents is heard shouting in the video.
Moments later, an officer shouted to his colleagues to open fire. The three police officers identified as Justin Statefeld, Orlando Villaverde, and Francisco Garcia began shooting. In total, seven shots were fired.
Díaz was pronounced dead at the scene despite attempts at resuscitation. "Starting chest compressions," an officer can be heard saying in the images as they tried to assist him.
His wife survived with cuts on one hand and one foot; she was taken to the hospital and was discharged the next day.
An investigation by Telemundo 51 revealed that only two of the four body cameras recorded the moment of the shooting.
The images also show a knife on the ground, near Díaz's body. A second knife was found on a wooden table, although the report acknowledges that it could not be determined how it got there or who placed it.
The case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), the independent state agency that reviews shootings involving police.
After analyzing the statements, recordings, and evidence gathered, the Miami-Dade Prosecutor's Office concluded on October 7 that Díaz posed an immediate threat to his wife and the other individuals present.
Sweetwater, where a predominantly Hispanic community resides—with the Cuban population being the largest—has been the scene of other domestic violence incidents involving lethal police intervention in recent months.
This month, a man shot his ex-partner in Kendall and then took his own life; in September, a shooting related to domestic violence left two dead in Little Havana.
The determination of the Prosecutor's Office concludes the criminal review of the use of force, but does not establish whether the officers followed all internal procedures of the Sweetwater Police or determine any potential administrative sanctions.
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