Miami police officer Jairo Lozano dedicated a plaque and $500 prize as the Outstanding Officer of the Year to the defense of a fellow officer, his brother, William, two weeks after their world turned upside down.
That same unity of blood brothers and "brothers in blue" remained strong 4 1/2 years later as the family hugged and rejoiced when an Orlando jury acquitted William Lozano of two counts of manslaughter."First of all I would like to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity in my life to start all over again," Lozano, 33, said while flanked by his attorneys and family.
Born in 1959 in Bogota, Colombia, Lozano moved to the United States in 1972. He became a police officer in 1985, received 11 commendations and earned a perfect score on a marksmanship test.
For his family, law enforcement wasn't only a job, but a way of life: his two brothers, Jairo and Windsor, and his wife, Ana, are Miami officers.
Lozano was suspended as an officer after being charged in the Jan. 16, 1989, shooting death of motorcyclist Clement Anthony Lloyd, 23. The subsequent crash fatally injured Lloyd's passenger, Allan Blanchard, 24. Lozano said he fired in self-defense The shooting set off three days of rioting.
A Miami jury convicted Lozano in his first trial, and he was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Two months later, a state appeals court ordered a new trial, saying the Miami jury was under undue pressure because of fears of renewed violence.