Family, fellow officers, political leaders pay tribute to slain Miami-Dade officer

At exactly 10 a.m. Wednesday, dozens of slow-marching men in kilts strode forward in percussion, bagpipes blaring, pounding on drums. The band rattled a rhythmic beat for less than a minute before coming to a halt. They stood in stillness and silence, their short ballad a swan song.

The stands, which normally seat Miami Marlins fans, were instead full of hundreds of police and military officers from all over South Florida looking out toward second base: There, at the top of the baseball diamond were flower bouquets and a pair of Cesar Echaverry’s baseball uniforms that would soon be joined by his casket.

Those who came to loanDepot park in Little Havana were there to celebrate the life of Echaverry, 29, a five-year Miami-Dade Police veteran and a member of the agency’s Robbery Intervention Detail. He lost his life last week, two days after a shootout with a suspected armed robber, who was killed by fellow officers.

“As a father, I can feel it in my bones what Echy meant to his parents,” said Miami-Dade Police Department Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez. “That feeling was also shared with our Miami Police Department family.”

Echaverry, known more affectionately to friends as “Echy,” is the first officer to be killed in the line of duty in the 26-year history of the vaunted RID unit and the first Miami-Dade police officer to be killed in the line of duty since 2011.

Echaverry was shot early in the evening of Aug. 15, after a brief chase of a suspected armed robber in Liberty City. He and other RID detectives thought they had a car being driven by Jeremy Willie Horton contained. But after a standoff in which he refused to get out of the vehicle, Horton plowed past several police cars. then crashed a few blocks away in Liberty City. Police say he then fled, exchanging fire with several officers in a shootout that left Echaverry with a severe head wound and Horton dead.

Critically wounded and with no brain activity, he died two days later on Aug. 17 at Jackson Memorial Hospital after his family made the difficult decision to turn off the machines keeping him alive.

Though most of Miami-Dade County had already done so, a day before the procession at the ballpark, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset. The governor also attended the ceremony, sitting in a front seat at the ballpark Wednesday, not far from the fallen officer’s parents, sister and fiancee.

The event that was live-streamed across multiple news channels featured speakers who ranged from Echaverry’s family and colleagues to Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, to the police director. Seated near them along with DeSantis was Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez. Also in attendance were scores of officers from law enforcement agencies across South Florida.

Friends and former police academy classmates called Echaverry a “cafecito-drinking daredevil.” He went by several names, “Echy” to most, “Big Dog” to his best friends, “Cesar” to the less-acquainted and, to his fiancee, simply “babe.”

Prior to the procession, a hearse carried Echaverry’s casket across Little Havana streets. More than a dozen roadways were crowded with police caravans throughout Wednesday morning and afternoon, an unmistakable reminder that a community figure has been lost.

A small stage was set up over second base, surrounded on each side by 10 rows of chairs. In center field, a door and gate opened to outside the stadium for the hearse to enter with the fallen officer’s body.

Meanwhile, a giant screen in center field showed the live procession to the stadium, with four motormen accompanying the hearse carrying Echaverry toward the stage. Another screen to the left showed Echaverry beside his badge number and a bible quote: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Dozens of motorcycle cops from several South Florida agencies followed the hearse, their lights flashing. The songs In Good Hands by Andrew Ripp and Don’t Give Up On Me by Brandon Lake played over the speakers. Echaverry’s off-road bike and dirt bike were set up next to the stage. The downed officer’s hat rested on a small table on the stage, near flower bouquets and two jerseys, one a Marlins shirt with signatures on it.

The hearse parked near first base where a team of officers removed Echaverry’s casket, carefully swaddled in an American flag, and placed it onto a gurney. As they pushed the casket toward the center of the stage, the stadium became an echo chamber for the sounds of bagpipes.

With the detective’s family in attendance, Cava spoke of Echaverry’s dedication and “sacred responsibility.”

Echaverry’s coworkers, closest friends and family also spoke. Ernesto Rodriguez, his RID lieutenant, marked his death as a turning point for fellow officers.

“That day will go down as the worst day in the unit’s history and the day our lives changed forever,” Rodriguez said. His and Echaverry’s RID detective colleagues sat grouped together in the audience, their black uniforms never more appropriate than for mourning a fellow officer.

RID is an exclusive unit of law enforcement in Miami-Dade County that is considered one of the most dangerous. Officers operate undercover to patrol high-crime neighborhoods in search of robbers and murderers, and approach them head-on.

Though serving on the RID unit came with its risks, Echaverry dreamed of becoming part of the team while at police academy.

“He was a hard worker and took a lot of pride in his work,” said his fiancee Stephanie Vargas. “When he started at CPU he was thrilled, but his ultimate goal was RID. RID was his top dog.”

Vargas shared tearful memories of meeting Echaverry in middle school. They shared classes in grade school and reconnected as adults. She told the story of their first date in Coral Gables, of how she knew Echaverry was the man she had “always hoped” she’d marry. Of how it hurts her to know that now she will never be able to.

Echaverry’s older sister, Sandra Virginia Echaverry, struggled to speak between strangled sobs. She spoke directly to Echaverry, knowing it would be for the last time. His casket faced her on the other side of the podium.

“There are no words that can fully honor your existence, you were a hero in my eyes from a very young age,” she said. “I cried when you were born and I cried when you left this world.”

Echaverry’s parents did not speak, but the family appeared as a united front in matching white shirts. On the back was their loved one’s nickname, “Echy,” and a number 9 — the same number he wore on his softball team.

After Wednesday’s ceremony, Echaverry’s body was transported to the airport and flown with his family to Nicaragua, where he will be buried.