The Miami‑Dade State Attorney's Office concluded this week that two Miami‑Dade Sheriff's deputies were legally justified when they opened fire during an armed confrontation at a Glenvar Heights used‑car lot last year. Prosecutors say deputies Alfredo Perez and Dea Harris shot at Roberto Leyva during an exchange of gunfire at Priced Right Motors on April 24, 2025; the dealership's owner was killed and an employee was wounded. Investigators later determined Leyva's fatal wound was self‑inflicted, according to records reviewed by prosecutors.
Prosecutors' review and verdict
In a close‑out memorandum signed in late June, Miami‑Dade prosecutors said they reviewed FDLE's case file, body‑worn camera footage, surveillance video and ballistics evidence before reaching their conclusion. Assistant State Attorney Sara Imm wrote that it was reasonable to conclude the deputies "believed that the use of deadly force was necessary" to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. The full memorandum is posted by the Miami‑Dade State Attorney's Office.
What investigators found
The memorandum says Leyva arrived at the business wearing tactical gear and armed with a black Zaviar Z15 rifle and a black Canik TP9 pistol, and that investigators recovered multiple magazines and a smoke device that was perceived as an explosive. It notes surveillance and audio indicate Leyva fired at officers at least once before either deputy returned fire, and that ballistics testing did not link the deputies' projectiles to the deceased or surviving victims. Prosecutors also recorded that they received the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's investigative file in late May as part of their review; see the memo for full details. Miami‑Dade State Attorney's Office.
Scene and victims
The April 24, 2025 shooting unfolded just before 1 p.m. at Priced Right Motors, a fenced used‑car lot in a warehouse district near Tropical Park. Deputies rushed multiple victims to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital; family members and authorities identified the dead man as Eduardo Rivero Jr. and the wounded employee as Armando Yadro, while surveillance and bystander video showed children and customers running for cover. Local coverage and the Associated Press described the large law‑enforcement response and area evacuations, according to WPBF (AP).
Why now: the close‑out arrived after FDLE review
Prosecutors signed and posted the close‑out after receiving the FDLE investigative report on May 22, and the State Attorney's Office finalized its review in late June. Local reporting notes Leyva was hospitalized after the April exchange and later died from complications earlier this year, details that were part of the materials prosecutors reviewed. For the State Attorney's announcement and local reporting, see Local10.
What it means legally
Florida law permits the use of deadly force when a person reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm; that standard is codified in F.S. 776.012. The State Attorney's decision ends the office's criminal review but does not automatically resolve internal disciplinary steps by the sheriff's office or any civil claims that might follow, and agency and FDLE files may be referenced in non‑criminal proceedings. For the statutory standard, see F.S. 776.012 via the Florida Senate, and for contemporaneous coverage of the original April 2025 incident see WPBF (AP).
