It was just another call for Devin Jaramillo. A small-fender-bender near SW 128th Street in the unincorporated Three Lakes area of Miami-Dade County, nothing flashy, nothing heroic. But on Friday afternoon he would make the ultimate sacrifice while serving the community.
At around 3:53 p.m., Jaramillo—27, and a proud new deputy with the Miami‑Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO)—arrived at the crash scene in the Kendall District. He was meeting what he believed was a routine assignment. Instead, he was met with violence.
According to Sheriff Rosie Cordero‑Stutz and other investigators, Jaramillo got into a verbal dispute with a man involved in the crash: Steven David Rustrian, 21, of Miami. That verbal exchange escalated into a physical fight, during which Rustrian managed to get hold of Jaramillo’s firearm and shot him multiple times.
Once the gun was out, Rustrian drove to his own vehicle, turned the weapon on himself, and died by suicide at the scene. Meanwhile, the deputies and arriving first-responders rushed Jaramillo to the hospital—HCA Florida Kendall Hospital—where, despite frantic efforts, he succumbed to his injuries.
This was not an ambush, Sheriff Cordero-Stutz clarified Saturday. She said the crash-response call was ordinary, Jaramillo and the shooter had no prior connection, and the violence erupted suddenly. “It could have been anyone,” she said, adding “what happened to our deputy was not OK.”
In the hours that followed, the South Florida law-enforcement community and local residents came together in mourning. Hundreds of first-responders lined up outside the hospital; a motorcade escorted Jaramillo’s flag-draped body, and solemn tributes filled the streets.
Jaramillo was more than a badge. He was described by his department as a “homegrown hero”—a man who could have chosen any path but chose public service, graduating from the academy in May 2024. His father, a retired MDSO detective, was part of the department’s fabric; Jaramillo carried that legacy forward with quiet pride.
Now, as his colleagues cope with the void he leaves behind, the sheriff’s office continues the investigation. A second person who was initially detained in connection with the crash has been released without charges, and authorities say no wider threat appears to exist at this time.
Jaramillo’s uniform may lie across a flag-covered coffin, but his choice to serve lives on in the memories of those who knew him. And while no words can fully ease the pain of his loss, his community now vows to hold the line he defended, honoring his sacrifice in every safe patrol and every call answered.