Miami-Dade officers to honor of fallen brother during Miami Marathon
DORAL - Five months ago Miami-Dade Police Detective Cesar Echaverry woke up and went on a run, and later to work, but he never made it back home. He was killed in the line of duty.
This Sunday, officers from his unit will be running the Miami Marathon and Half with Echaverry in mind.
"On the morning of the incident that he was killed he actually posted on social media that he was breaking in his new running shoes," Justin Heller, Miami-Dade Police Officer said.
Heller was working with Echaverry in Miami's Liberty City neighborhood.
"That night he ran towards a very violent individual without hesitation," Heller recalled.
While trying to arrest a suspect tied to an armed robbery in Dania Beach, Echaverry was shot, he died two days later at the hospital.
His sacrifice has left an empty hole in the lives of friends, family and co-workers, so they're training to do one of his favorite things, run. This Sunday four officers from the robbery intervention detail will be running in his honor, in the Life Time Miami Marathon and Half.
"I feel like it's definitely an outlet in a positive way, and gives you time and think remember Echy and everything that he sacrificed," John Childress, Miami-Dade Police Officer said.
"He was never complacent, he always wanted to better. It's easy in this profession, in this line of work to get complacent and no stay up to your physical standards, and he was doing the complete opposite of that by putting in the work and running," Joe Rodriguez, Miami-Dade Police Officer said.
They know "Echy" as they called him would never give up, so they won't either until they cross the finish line.
"We're hoping to do it in 1 hour and 45 minutes, definitely the whole time that I'm running I will be thinking of the Cesar, and the type of person that he was," Heller added.
Near year the group hopes to do all 26.2 miles, but no matter where they run, Echy will always be with them, in their hearts.