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 the st

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