Florida cop dies after being shot by man who faced charges in Cobb, police say

Police officers and other officials stand outside the Ryder Trauma Center after a Miami-Dade police officer was shot Monday. (Alie Skowronski/Miami Herald/TNS)

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

Police officers and other officials stand outside the Ryder Trauma Center after a Miami-Dade police officer was shot Monday. (Alie Skowronski/Miami Herald/TNS)

A Florida police officer died late Wednesday, two days after he was shot by a man whose felony charges in Cobb County were recently dropped, according to police.

Detective Cesar “Echy” Echaverry died surrounded by loved ones, according to Miami-Dade Police Department Director Alfredo Ramirez.

“Officer Echaverry died in the line of duty while serving and protecting our community,” Ramirez posted on social media. “Our law enforcement family will continue to stand beside and support the Echaverry family through this difficult time. We’ll never forget Officer Echaverry’s bravery and sacrifice. Godspeed, brother.”

Detective Cesar “Echy” Echaverry died Wednesday night in a Miami hospital, according to police.

Credit: Miami-Dade County police

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Credit: Miami-Dade County police

It was a 32-year-old former Georgia man accused of killing Echaverry, according to police.

Jeremy Willie Horton, who previously lived in Acworth and Lithia Springs, was killed Monday in a confrontation with Miami-Dade County police that seriously wounded Echaverry. According to court records, Horton was previously convicted of felony obstruction in a Cobb case dating back to 2013. Then in 2019, he was again arrested in Cobb after he allegedly assaulted a woman and kidnapped her child, his arrest warrant states.

But on July 13, the most recent case against Horton in Cobb was dropped when his alleged victim declined to cooperate with investigators, court records show.

Earlier this week, Horton was in trouble again, but this time in Florida, according to police.

Jeremy Horton, 32, was shot and killed by Miami-Dade County officers after he shot an officer in the head, according to police. He's shown in a handout photo given to south Florida media outlests.

Credit: Miami Herald

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Credit: Miami Herald

Horton was a suspect in a south Florida robbery Monday and was later pursued by Miami-Dade County officers, who attempted to perform a traffic stop after spotting his vehicle, authorities said. That’s when Horton tried to flee, striking police vehicles and another car.

When Horton got out of his car, he exchanged gunfire with officers, police said. Horton shot Echaverry in the head and officers returned fire, killing Horton, according to officials with the Miami-Dade Police Department.

“Our officers, including Echy, as brave as they are, fled on foot after the suspect so he would not be a threat to our community,” Ramirez said during a news conference Tuesday evening.

(8-16-22) UPDATE on the shooting involving our officer and a civilian

Posted by Miami-Dade Police Department on Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Echaverry, a 5-year veteran of the department, was a member of the robbery intervention unit, Ramirez said. Earlier Wednesday, the 29-year-old officer was in “extremely critical condition” in a Miami hospital, where his parents were attending his bedside. He is also survived by his fiancée.

“Our officers are hurting real bad,” Ramirez said Tuesday. “But make no mistake that we have our resolve, and we are standing tall for Echy, and for this community.... We stand together praying for him, and we will not quit.”

Miami Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said she and public safety leaders had met with Echaverry’s family.

“I call upon our entire community to uplift him and his family in your prayers, as well as the entire police department and public safety community in this time of pain and sorrow and uncertainty,” Cava said.

On Aug. 8, one week before he was killed, Horton had been stopped and cited for having no proof of insurance and driving with an expired tag and a suspended Georgia driver’s license, Golden Beach Police Chief Rudy Herbello told Miami-area media. Golden Beach is a small town about 20 miles northeast of Miami.

It’s not known when Horton left Georgia for Florida. His criminal record shows he was in metro Atlanta dating back to at least September 2013.

As a 23-year-old, Horton was charged with aggravated assault against an officer and obstruction after he resisted arrest in a Cobb courtroom, an arrest warrant states. With only one hand in handcuffs, Horton used the second handcuff to strike a deputy, the warrant states.

In July 2014, Horton pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction and was sentenced to 12 months behind bars, court records show.

Then in September 2019, Horton was charged with kidnapping, battery, giving false information and third-degree child cruelty, his warrant states.

“Said accused did abduct and steal away the juvenile without lawful authority or warrant and did hold such person against their will,” the warrant states.

In July, the Cobb DA’s office filed court documents showing it would not prosecute the case against Horton “at the request, or due to unavailability, of the alleged victim.”

“Although probable cause existed at the time of the arrest, the state does not have sufficient information to meet its burden of proof at trial,” prosecutors said in the court filing.

— The Associated Press contributed to this story.