A Broward Judge has thrown out a manslaughter charge against a Miami-Dade police officer involved in a chaotic 2019 shootout that killed a kidnapped UPS driver, ruling that Florida’s “stand your ground” law shields him from prosecution.

Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra dismissed the case against Officer Jose Mateo , 33, who was indicted with three colleagues after a harrowing gun battle that left 27-year-old Frank Ordoñez , a UPS driver taken hostage during a jewelry store robbery, dead in the crossfire.

Kollra’s order marks a rare application of Florida’s expansive self-defense statute to a law enforcement officer.

The ruling followed weeks of testimony from bystanders, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) investigators and other law enforcement officials.

Kollra concluded

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