Detective Wounded In Alleged Grow House Shooting Released From JMH
MIAMI (CBS4) - The Miami-Dade Police detective wounded during a shootout at a suspected marijuana grow house has been released from the hospital.
Det. John Saavedra, 34, was discharged from Jackson Memorial Hospital Wednesday afternoon.
Saavedra was shot three times after a gunman opened fire on detectives who showed up to the home on July 31 and asked for consent to search a grow house that they later discovered had 80 pounds of marijuana worth $90,000 inside it.
They say they saw 59-year-old Luis Estevanell going in and out of the home that was owned by 56-year-old Gerard Delgado.
Police say as they approached the home, Delgado, who was hiding in his BMW while protecting the grow house on Southwest 60th Court near Coral Way, started firing his weapons.
Three Miami-Dade Police detectives, including Saavedra and an F.B.I. agent, were forced to return fire. Saavedra was wounded. Delgado was killed.
Estevanell was charged with felony 2nd degree murder, possession of cocaine and trafficking in marijuana.
Estevanell has been denied bond. In court, his attorney Philip Horowitz told a Judge that "he is 59 and has no prior record. He has been a self-employed jeweler for the past 34 years. Clearly he has no involvement in the decision by Mister Delgado to pull a gun."
In court, a prosecutor told a Judge that Estevanell's "co defendant did open fire at police prompting them to open fire and that did result in a death."
Horowitz said Estevanell had no involvement in the shooting and he was hoping to get a reasonable bond.
Delgado's widow Isabel said, "I think it's all a misunderstanding. I don't believe this."
His son Gerardo Delgado Junior said, "He was a great man. He didn't deserve this. What happened to him was a travesty."
While his father had no criminal record, records show Gerardo Delgado Junior was charged with marijuana possession in the past.
When asked about the alleged grow house, he said, "I have no comment."
