Tampa Resident Fatally Shot in Cuban Boat Incident; Family Claims He Sought to Overthrow Government

In a tragic turn of events, family and friends of Michel Ortega Casanova have confirmed he was among four men who lost their lives during a violent encounter near the Cuban coast.

According to statements from the Cuban government, the incident involved a boat, reportedly registered in Florida, with ten men on board who allegedly attempted to breach Cuban territorial waters.

Authorities in Cuba reported intercepting the vessel, which led to a gunfire exchange. The clash resulted in the deaths of four individuals on the boat, while the remaining six were wounded and subsequently detained.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who shares Cuban American heritage, stated that the U.S. is launching its own inquiry into the situation, citing skepticism regarding the Cuban account of the 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
Pavel Alling Peña
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.

Cuba’s military shot at a U.S.-registered boat Wednesday close to its shoreline, authorities said. (AP Digital Embed)

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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