Tampa man killed in Cuban boat shootout wanted to overthrow island’s government, loved ones say

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The family and friends of Michel Ortega Casanova said he was one of four men killed in an armed confrontation off the Cuban Coast.

The Cuban government claims 10 men were on a boat registered in Florida that tried to invade their coast.

The Cubans said they intercepted the boat and a shootout resulted. Four men on the boat were killed while six others were wounded and taken into custody.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also Cuban American, said the U.S. government is conducting their own investigation into the incident because it does not trust the Cuban version of events.

Thursday, the Cuban Ministry of the Interior identified the individuals as:

Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara

Conrado Galindo Serrior

José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló

Leordán Cruz Gomez of Tampa

Amijail Sanchez Gonzalez

Roberto Alvarez Avila

Michael Ortega Casanova of Tampa

Ledián Padrón Guevara

Hector Duani Cruz Correa

The last four people on the list were said to be deceased. The others are in Cuban custody.

According to the Cuban government, weapons were found on the boat, including “assault rifles, sniper rifles, pistols, Molotov cocktails, multiple assault equipment including night vision equipment, bulletproof vests, assault bayonets, camouflage clothing, ammunition of various calibers, food for combat use, means of communication, and a large number of monograms of counterrevolutionary terrorist organizations.”

The statement continued:

“Right from the start, Cuban authorities have been in touch with their U.S. counterparts, including the State Department and the Coast Guard, about this terrorist attempt. An investigation is underway to clarify the facts with the utmost rigor. The Cuban government is willing to exchange information with the US government on this matter. Among other requirements, we will request information on those involved, the means used, and other details from the US authorities through the mechanisms in place between the two countries.”

The U.S. government is not confirming any of this information.

Angela Chaviano with Casa Cuba in Tampa said Michel Ortega Casanova was a member of their organization and visited just last week.

“Michel is a great friend, great, is like a brother, and it was very painful for me to know that he was one of the ones deceased,” Chaviano said.

According to The Associated Press, Michel’s brother, Misael Ortega Casanova, said his brother had fallen into an “obsessive and diabolical” quest to overthrow the Cuban government. He lived in the U.S. for over 20 years and became a citizen.

Misael Ortega Casanova said his brother worked as a trucker and is survived by his wife, his mother, two sisters, and a daughter who is pregnant.

“No one knew,” Misael Ortega Casanova said. “My mother is devastated.”

“They became so obsessed that they didn’t think about the consequences nor their own lives,” he added.

Chaviano said Michel Ortega Casanova hoped to overthrow the Cuban Government and tried to recruit others to join him.

“I know that he was always saying that the only way to make a change was through arms, was through force and not just by talking,” Chaviano said.

She said Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez was also on the boat from Florida and was wounded in the exchange of gunfire.

Tampa attorney Ralph Fernandez has long fought for Cuban political prisoners.

“Tampa is deeply penetrated with Cuban intelligence, meaning they have actual intelligence officers in the network and agents in place in the network,” Fernandez said.

He said the Cuban government knew when and where to expect Michel Ortega Casanova’s boat and that they were armed.

“They’ll be able to determine why there was a Cuban gunboat waiting for them in a region where they don’t service that coastline,” Fernandez said. They don’t have the fuel or the manpower to service that coastline.”

According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the boat was reported stolen by a resident who said he saw his boat’s registration numbers being reported by Cuban media.

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