Orange deputy shot armed man near Florida Mall, sheriff says
An Orange County deputy shot an armed man during a confrontation near The Florida Mall on Friday, Sheriff John Mina said.
Mina said deputies had earlier approached a group people in the parking lot of Dick’s Sporting Goods. One was wanted for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and was also considered a person of interest in a recent shooting in Pine Hills, the sheriff said.
When deputies moved in, another in the group — a man in his 20s whose name has not been released — took off running, Mina said.
A deputy caught up with the fleeing man, who was armed with a stolen handgun, the sheriff said. The deputy shot the suspect during the confrontation, Mina said.
The suspect was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center where he was in surgery Friday afternoon, Mina said.
The sheriff did not say what prompted the deputy to fire.
“All that’s under investigation,” Mina said.
He added that the deputy has been on the force for about a dozen years and there is body-worn camera footage of the shooting. No deputies were hurt.
Asked why deputies tried to make the arrest near the mall, Mina said the suspect was known to be dangerous, so arresting him was a priority.
“That part of he parking lot they were in was vacant at the time,” he said. “There weren’t a lot of people there.”
The earlier shooting in which Mina said the wanted man was a person of interest was a July 7 shootout on Powers Ridge Court, which left one person dead. According to court records, authorities believe it stemmed from ongoing violence between a pair of gangs.
The Florida Mall is south of Orlando near Orange Blossom Trail and Sand Lake Road. The mall was closed for a period due to the coronavirus pandemic but reopened in early May.
The earliest indication of Friday’s shooting came around 1 p.m. when the Sheriff’s Office posted a message on social media urging the public to avoid the area surrounding the mall and expect road delays.
The post said only that the disturbance was due to “law enforcement activity.”
The deputy who shot the man will be on paid administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates the shooting.
jeweiner@orlandosentinel.com-
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