Miami-Dade's Top Cop: Slain Officers Used Sound Tactics
Miami-Dade Police Director James Loftus praised slain officers Roger Castillo and Amanda Haworth and their unit, the career criminal squad, and said he wouldn't entertain doubts about their tactics.
Detectives Amanda Haworth and Roger Castillo will be honored during a memorial service on Jan. 24, after they were slain by a violent parolee. Photo via Miami-Dade PD.
Miami-Dade Police Director James Loftus praised slain officers Roger Castillo and Amanda Haworth and their unit, the career criminal squad, and said he wouldn't entertain doubts about their tactics.
The two detectives were slain while attempting to arrest Johnny Simms, a 22-year-old parolee and fugitive wanted for the murder of a man in Miami.
Speaking about Simms, Loftus told the news outlet, "Do you think he knew whether it was a SWAT team, or whether it was a uniformed officer? I'm sure it had nothing to do with his decision to come out firing. He came out shooting because he wanted to get away."
The officers were let into the home by Simms' mother, prior to the gunfight.
The detectives moved in on Simms without calling for the agency's Special Response Team. Retired LAPD SWAT officer and use-of-force consultant Ron McCarthy told the news outlet the officers should have called for reinforcements if they were 100 percent sure Simms was inside the house.
A memorial for the two officers is scheduled for Monday (Jan. 24) at 11 a.m. at the American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Boulevard, the Miami-Dade PD announced.
Read the full report at MiamiHerald.com.
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