Funeral Service For Miami-Dade Officer Killed In Puerto Rico
MIAMI (CBS4) - A funeral service will be held Wednesday for a Miami-Dade police officer who was killed in Puerto Rico.
Officer Juan Aviles, 34, was shot and killed along with his sister on the side of a road in a remote part of southern Puerto Rico. Authorities in Puerto Rico said Aviles and his sister were gunned down in Villalba, Puerto Rico at about 3:30 in the morning. Drugs were also found at the scene, but it is still unclear how or if they are connected to the murders.
Aviles' body arrived back in South Florida on Tuesday, an American flag draped over the casket.
A private funeral service for Aviles will be held at Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the Bernardo Garcia Funeral Home in Kendall. On Thursday, a memorial mass will be celebrated in his honor at the St. Richard Catholic Church in Palmetto Bay.
Aviles began his career in law enforcement in 1995 in Puerto Rico where he served for five years as a police officer. In 2003, he was employed with the Port of Miami as a Seaport Security Officer. Aviles then transferred to the Miami-Dade Police Department and graduated from the police academy in December 2006. His assignments included the South and Northside Districts, the Village of Palmetto Bay and, lastly, the Midwest District.
Aviles is survived by his wife, Miami-Dade police officer Vanessa Aviles and his children, Elysa Usma (six years old), David (22 months), and three-weeks-old twins Arianna Marie and Alexa Veronica.
