Det. Manuel Rodriguez-Blevins was seen dabbing his eyes with tissues and struggling to speak on Tuesday, testifying during the death penalty hearing for convicted cop killer Jason Banegas

The Broward County, Florida, police officer was in tears as he testified that he responded to a call about a burglary only to witness the suspect shooting his best friend in the head

Officer Yandy Chirino, 28, died after he was shot on Oct 17, 2021, by Banegas, then 18, who was breaking into vehicles – during a midnight altercation

Jason Banegas, now 22, changed his plea in October to guilty on 10 different charges, including first-degree murder, in the death of Officer Yandy Chirino

Through tears, Rodriguez-Blevins recounted how his friend ‘was pointing at his face’ and ‘was shot’ while trying to wrestle a gun away from the teenager, who already had a lengthy criminal record

At least eight of the 12 jurors will have to recommend the death penalty for Judge Ernest Kollra to impose the sentence, but the judge has the final say

Det. Manuel Rodriguez-Blevins in court on Tuesday, was seen dabbing his eyes with tissues, struggling to speak as he testified at the death penalty trial for Jason Banegas, who was convicted for the 2021 fatal shooting of Officer Yandy Chirino

A Florida police officer broke down in tears on the stand giving testimony on how he responded to a call about a burglary only to witness his best friend and fellow officer was shot in the head.
Detective Manuel Rodriguez-Blevins was seen dabbing his eyes with tissues and struggling to speak as he took the stand at the death penalty trial for convicted cop killer Jason Banegas, 22, on Tuesday.
Banegas changed his plea in October to guilty on 10 different charges, including first-degree murder, in connection with the murder of Yandy Chirino, a 28-year-old officer with the Hollywood Police Department in Florida’s Broward County.
Officer Yandy Chirino was shot and killed during a struggle with the perpetrator after he responded to reports of a suspect checking car door handles on October 17, 2021. 
Jurors are now tasked with determining whether to recommend Banegas face the death penalty or serve the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Suspected cop killer Jason Banegas, [photo], changed his plea in Oct. to guilty on 10 different charges, including first-degree murder, in the shooting death of police officer Yandy Chirino, 28, in 2021. Sentencing options would either be death penalty of life without parole

As the death penalty hearing got underway on Tuesday, Assistant State Attorney Kristine Bradley argued that jurors would be justified in imposing the death penalty, which applies in cases where a person’s death is determined to be especially ‘heinous, atrocious and cruel,’ and in cases in which the victim is an on-duty officer.
When Banegas’ defense lawyer Michael Orlando then waived his opening statement until after the state finished presenting its case, Rodriguez-Blevins took the stand.
Through tears, he recounted how his friend ‘was pointing at his face’ and ‘was shot’ while trying to wrestle a gun away from the suspect.
During his touching testimony, members of the public in the galley could also be seen wiping tears as well. 

Yandy Chirino, [photo], 28, of Hollywood Police Department in Florida, was shot dead as he and Banegas wrestled with the then-teenager’s pistol

Prosecutors then showed jurors surveillance footage showing cops carrying Chirino from a patrol car and into a local hospital the night of the shooting, with hordes of cops rushing into the entrance.
Meanwhile, Officer Henry Martinez could be seen waiting outside, holding his head with his hands, after giving Chirino CPR the entire way to the hospital.
Taking the stand on Tuesday, Martinez shared just how close he was with the fallen officer.
‘We worked in the same squad and we patrolled the same areas every night,’ he testified. ‘He later became my roommate and I was honored to make him the godfather of my son.’

Officer Henry Martinez on the stand Tuesday also spoke about his deep closeness with his colleague Yandy Chirino

Chirino was supposed to be off-duty on October 17, 2021, when he responded to reports that a suspicious man was riding a bike on North Hills Drive in the city of Hollywood, going driveway to driveway, grabbing door handles of cars to see if they were unlocked.
When the officer then tried to arrest the then-18 year old, the two struggled with his Glock pistol. 
Rodriguez-Blevins then arrived at the scene, and saw Banegas with the firearm as Chirino ‘was attempting to wrestle the pistol away from him.’
The detective testified that before he could react, Officer Chirino was shot in the face at near point-blank range – by the suspect.

Police officers escort the casket of their colleague, Yandy Chirino, out of the Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, on October 2021. Chirino died after he was shot by a teenage suspect in during a midnight altercation

At that point, Rodriguez-Blevins kicked Banegas, who dropped the weapon after shooting Chirino, and arrested him.
Meanwhile, officers attempted to administer first aid to Chirino, before bundling him into a squad car and driving to Memorial Regional Hospital. Chirino, who joined the Hollywood Police Department in 2017, was pronounced dead shortly after their arrival.
Following his arrest, Banegas confessed to the break-ins. He claimed that he shot Chirino in the face during a botched attempt at suicide.

Following his arrest, teenage criminal Jason Banegas, then 18, admitted to the break-ins. However, he maintained that he shot Officer Chirino in the face during a botched attempt to kill himself 

The teenager was already well-known to police and had a lengthy rap sheet of prior charges as a juvenile including burglary, grand theft auto and drug distribution. He had just been conditionally released from a ‘high-risk’ detention center, where he was serving time for cocaine possession with the intent to sell.
According to the arrest warrant, ‘[Banegas] stated he was being disrespected by the officer and panicked because he was carrying a concealed weapon and did not want to go back to jail, as he was just released 30 days ago.’
He has maintained, though, that he pulled out the gun to kill himself ‘but the officer kept moving around’ as he pulled the trigger. 

Teen suspect with a lengthy rap sheet of priors as a juvenile, including burglary, grand theft auto and drug distribution, had just been conditionally released from a ‘high-risk’ detention center, where he was serving time for cocaine possession with the intent to sell

At the conclusion of the death penalty hearing, jurors must now find that prosecutors proved aggravating factors beyond a reasonable doubt that outweighs the mitigating factors the defense will present, to justify the recommendation of capital punishment.
Furthermore, a minimum eight of the 12 jurors will have to recommend the death penalty for Broward Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra to impose the sentence, although the judge has the final say.