COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A 29-year-old police officer who was shot in the head while trying to stop a robbery suspect in Miami has died from injuries.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Detective Cesar Echaverry was shot Monday night as he and other officers closed in on a suspect wanted for an earlier robbery in nearby Broward County, police said.
Police said Echaverry 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. They are currently stable.
“There’s a mom and dad right now suffering,” Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez said during a news conference Tuesday evening.
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.
TRENDING STORIES:
- UPDATE: Woman who vanished from Buckhead townhome found dead
- Video shows brutal attack of teen at Clayton County high school
- Member of renowned hip hop group, Atlanta brewery owner shot, kidnapped outside business
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 has 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.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
It’s not clear if Horton lived in Florida but he has ties to Douglas County and Cobb County, Georgia.
The last home address listed for Horton is located in Lithia Springs, Douglas County. Channel 2′s Michele Newell stopped by the house Thursday afternoon but a lockbox was on the door and no one answered.
Neighbors said they don’t remember seeing Horton around and that the house has sat empty for quite some time.
Several arrest warrants for Horton out of Cobb County date back to 2009.
According to an arrest warrant from 2019, Horton was criminally charged after investigators say he allegedly assaulted a woman and kidnapped her child.
In 2018, Acworth police say Horton was arrested for speeding violations and possession of marijuana.
In 2013, Horton was charged with aggravated assault against a police officer. Horton also has traffic violations and domestic violence charges from prior years.
IN OTHER NEWS:
This browser does not support the video element.