A Miami-Dade police officer who fatally shot a man during a hotel raid will not face charges, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office. The incident, which took place in Miami Springs' Extended Stay Hotel, involved tactical officer Anthony Jimenez killing Jaime Robles, who was mistakenly identified as connected to an armed robbery leading to a fellow detective's death. In a memo dated December 19 and obtained by New Times, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle stated that Robles was not holding the weapon—an AK-47—when he was shot by Jimenez, contradicting earlier police claims that Robles was "armed."
The same raid in August last year also put bystanders at risk. Eduardo Kassem related that bullets had entered the room just below where police were to fatally shoot Robles. One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, recalled the terrifying moment they were babysitting and almost caught in the crossfire: "They’re firing AR-15s right above my family's head. And they had no regard for our lives," Kassem told NBC 6. There was concern that if a child had been in the bathroom, they would have summarily been shot, evidencing the raid's potential for collateral damage.
Robles' girlfriend, who remains unidentified, has since dispelled allegations of his complicity, saying they were simply helping out someone in need. "He was a great person and he was kind, he would help anyone," she stated in an interview with NBC 6. Robles, originally from Puerto Rico and working for a solar company, had lent his car to the person involved in the armed robbery, Jeremy Horton, though his girlfriend maintains this was the extent of his involvement.
In the wake of the shooting that also resulted in the death of Detective Cesar Echaverry, questions are being raised about department tactics and the disregard for the presence of young children and bystanders during such operations. Questions directed to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement regarding the source of the bullets that endangered hotel guests have yet to be answered. This tragedy unfolds as a narrative bereft of clear heroes and villains, the lines between law, order, and the safeguarding of innocent lives blurred as we continue to piece together the events of that fateful day.
