Suspect in the shooting of two Orlando police officers has a Miami connection

As two Orlando officers fought for their lives, the city’s police chief said that a suspect was killed in a shootout with other officers Saturday morning at a Holiday Inn.

The suspect, identified as Daton S. Viel, was wanted in connection to a Miami shooting that left a man dead on July 10, Miami-Dade police told the Miami Herald.

Viel, Orlando Chief Eric Smith said, shot and critically injured two Orlando officers during a traffic stop late Friday. The officers recognized the red Ford Fusion and its license tag that Viel was in from the Miami case.

Viel, 28, shot the two officers from inside the car and then carjacked another vehicle to get away from other officers, Smith said.

Orlando police caught Viel at a Holiday Inn at Caravan Court in Orlando around 6 a.m. Saturday and evacuated the hotel. Viel hid inside one of the rooms, Smith said at Orlando Health Regional Medical Center, alongside Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and surgeon, Dr. Michael Chatham.

“Several attempts to get the suspect to surrender were made and he refused to give up and shot at our SWAT officers multiple times. One officer returned fire and struck the suspect. The suspect is now deceased,” Smith said at the hospital in a livestream on the department’s Facebook page.

The two officers were still hospitalized Saturday afternoon, but are expected to recover, authorities said.

Smith would not name the injured officers, citing Marsy’s Law, which allows crime victims to remain anonymous.

Viel, wanted in a deadly Miami shooting, came to the attention of law enforcement in Central Florida, according to Miami-Dade police detective Alvaro Zabaleta, a spokesman for the department.

On July 10, Miami-Dade police responded to a ShotSpotter alert in the area of Northwest 83rd Street and 22nd Avenue. They found a man with gunshot wounds who would die at Jackson Ryder Trauma Center after rescue crews raced him to the hospital.

“The victim was sitting on the front porch of the residence when the subject arrived donning a ski mask,” Zabaleta said. The suspect ran after the victim and shot at him as he ran away. The suspect then took off northbound on Northwest 22nd in a vehicle.

Miami-Dade police used surveillance footage to capture images of a red Ford Fusion and its paper license tag.

The same car was spotted Friday in Orlando.

“It’s a very sad day for our community to learn that two Orlando Police Department officers were shot last night. It’s a constant reminder of the dangers law enforcement face everyday while protecting their communities. We will continue to pray for the officers and their family,” said Stephanie Daniels, interim director for Miami-Dade’s police department.

She was appointed in July by Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava after Chief Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez shot himself in Tampa.

“Our officers are lucky to be alive and we ask that you continue to pray for them,” Smith, the Orlando police chief, said in a statement.

Viel “has an extensive, violent criminal history,” Smith said. Viel pleaded guilty to a battery charge in 2016, but he doesn’t have a violent criminal history in Miami-Dade where he is a possible murder suspect, according to court records.

This is a developing story. Miami Herald staff writer Devoun Cetoute contributed to this report.