As Roger Castillo stared down a gun being held by Johnny Simms, he was also staring down a familiar face.
In an tragic twist of fate, Thursday marked the second time Castillo and Simms had crossed paths, nearly five years to the day of their fatal encounter.
A then 18-year-old Simms was wanted for armed robbery and he was arrested by Castillo in December 2005.
The repeat offender was sent to prison for the crime and was released on probation in 2010, but it didn't take long for the career criminal to commit another violent act.
Simms allegedly murdered a man in October near Overtown and had gone into hiding, until he was tracked down Thursday morning at his mother's house near Liberty City.
Castillo, Amanda Haworth, Diedre Beecher and Oscar Plasencia arrived at the house knowing that there was a violent man inside. What they didn't know was that Simms was going to come out firing, determined not to go back behind bars.
In the end, Castillo, Haworth and Simms lay mortally wounded in the front yard.
