Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said Friday's fatal shooting of 27-year-old MDSO deputy Devin Jaramillo "was not an ambush" but happened during a "minor traffic crash" investigation.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Cordero-Stutz said the suspect — who has been identified as 21-year-old Steven David Rustrian by M-DSO officials — fought with the deputy, snatched his service revolver and then shot Jaramillo multiple times before killing himself.
"It's important to me that today we clarify some rumors that have been spreading regarding how the incident occurred yesterday," Cordero-Stutz said.
Jaramillo, she said, was dispatched late Friday afternoon to the scene of a minor traffic crash in the 12200 block of Southwest 128 Street.
A verbal dispute between Jaramillo and Rustrian then "escalated to a physical altercation," said Cordero-Stutz, who said Rustrian, "during that fight, disarmed our deputy of his own service weapon and used it to shoot him multiple times."
Rustrian then went to his vehicle and "took his own life," Cordero-Stutz said.
She said witnesses to the shooting called 9-1-1 as Jaramillo's fellow deputies provided first aid to him. The deputy was taken to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, where he later died.
"[Jaramillo] responded as any deputy in this county would and he handled himself in a professional and tactically sound manner," Cordero-Stutz told reporters.
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Cordero-Stutz described Jaramillo as a "homegrown hero," noting that he graduated from Miami Killian Senior High School and graduated magna laude from University of Central Florida.
He was "an athlete, a football player, and he was smart, strong, handsome and young," Cordero-Stutz said.
"He could have done anything with his professional career, but he chose public service and he chose to do it in this community to serve us. And he gave the ultimate price and his service," she said.
"This will never be okay," said Cordero-Stutz repeating what she said Friday night during an emotional news conference with reporters. "I ask our community to continue to hold us in your prayers because we need them."
Jaramillo joined the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office less than two years ago and previously served with the Coral Gables Police Department for nearly four years, according to a posting on the Officer Down Memorial website, which tracks law enforcement killed in the line of duty. They noted that Jaramillo's father is a retired Miami-Dade police detective.
Top Miami-Dade officials mourn deputy's death
Miami-Dade Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis, in a statement, said she was "heartbroken" by the deputy's death.
"This is a painful reminder of the risks our law enforcement officers take each day to keep us safe," she said.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, in a statement issued Saturday, expressed profound grief over the deputy's murder.
"There are no words to fully express the sadness, the pain and the grief that I and my law enforcement partners all feel as we all confront the reality of Miami-Dade Sheriff's Deputy Devin Jaramillo murder," she said.
"Deputy Jaramillo served our community with honor, courage, and a deep commitment to protecting others as is clear from his efforts to render assistance at what appeared to be a traffic accident," she said.
"Deputy Jaramillo's killing is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by every individual who wears the badge and the sacrifices these officers make to protect this community,' she added. "His family is in my prayers."
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