A former Miami-Dade Schools police officer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison and 20 years of probation for the attempted murder of her ex-boyfriend, an off-duty Miami-Dade Police officer, outside his family’s home in Hialeah.
Yessenia Sanchez pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree attempted murder with a deadly weapon and stalking in connection with the Nov. 5, 2022, shooting of Officer Damian Colon.
During Friday’s sentencing, Damian’s brother, David Colon, delivered an emotional statement in court, condemning Sanchez’s actions.
“May you suffer the same every day of your life. We despise you,” he said. “You are a horrible human being. I hope every day of your life, you suffer from the things that you have caused.”
Struggling to hold back tears, he added, “You have destroyed a family. You have destroyed someone full of life, full of plans, with a bright future. You did that.”
Damian, a 17-year veteran of the department, survived the attack after undergoing surgery.
A calculated attack
Investigators revealed that Sanchez used a tracking app to locate Colon at his family’s residence near West 79th Street and 13th Avenue. She confronted him in the driveway and shot him before fleeing.
Surveillance footage captured her vehicle striking another car as she sped away.
Sanchez’s sentencing marks the conclusion of a harrowing chapter for Colon and his family.
“We have justice today. Today we close a chapter, one chapter in a book that you opened,” said David. “You gave us justice by pleading guilty to the crimes that you committed.”
State Attorney: “No one is immune to domestic violence”
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle acknowledged the severity of the case in a statement following the sentencing.
“No one is immune to the terror and horror of domestic violence. Former police officer Yessenia Sanchez’ shooting of her ex-boyfriend, another police officer, sadly proves this point,” she said. “Her violent act displayed the sheer explosion of aggression inherent in every incident of domestic violence. Sanchez’ 30-year sentence cannot restore the physical damage she did while trying to kill the man she once claimed to have loved. Sadly, those scars will last forever.”
For Damian, the road to recovery has been long and difficult, but he credits his family and fellow officers for helping him through it.
“I feel blessed. Thank God for them, I’ve gotten through this tough situation,” he said. “Thank God for my family, for everybody that’s been here for me. It’s been tough, but without them, I probably would have never gotten through this.”
Earlier this month, Damian retired from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, a career he said he would have loved to continue.
