KISSIMMEE, Fla.—One person is dead and several others suffered minor wounds Wednesday night after a shooting involving two Osceola County Sheriff's deputies in a Target shopping center alongWest Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in Kissimmee, officials said.
What You Need To Know
- According to information from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded Wednesday night a shoplifting report at a Kissimmee Target
- At some point while confronting four individuals suspected of being involved in the theft, investigators say deputies opened fire, killing one person
- The three other individuals were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, officials said
An Osceola County Sheriff's Office arrest report released Thursday evening shows that deputies initially responded to the business on a shoplifting call.
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos R. Lopez spoke briefly with the media Wednesday night and said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will be investigating the shooting.
“And I’m not gonna be commenting because the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is actually going to assume this investigation and we don’t want to step on their toes, OK?” he said.
— Jeff Allen (@News13JeffAllen) April 28, 2022UPDATE: @OsceolaSheriff confirms two deputies involved in the shooting are okay, but one man is dead.
FDLE will investigate.
See AlsoNachrichten Nürnberg ▷ News & LokalnachrichtenThe Osceola's keys to an FSU upset win over Clemson, game predictionsOsceola County issues evacuation, cleanup efforts after Hurricane Ian brings historic floodingOsceola County | FOX 35 OrlandoMost of the crime-scene activity appears to be right in front of the Target in this shopping center off 192 in Kissimmee. @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/1ZPDGwqAgr
According to a statement released by the sheriff's office Thursday, two deputies discharged their agency-issued firearms.
The names and any identifiable information about the deputies are protected by Marsy’s Law and will not be released, the Osceola Sheriff's Office said.
In a separate email to Spectrum News 13 Thursday morning, Andrew Sullivan, the public information coordinator for the Osceola County Fire Rescue & EMS, offered more information on the conditions of the people involved in the shooting.
"We treated and transported four adults from the scene, one from gunshot wounds who is now deceased, one for relatively minor bullet shrapnel injuries to the hand, and two for non-life threatening injuries sustained from falling while attempting to flee law enforcement," he wrote in the email.
The deputies who responded and reported to the scene are in "good health," the Osceola Sheriff's Office statement said.
The sheriff's office did not initially reveal why deputies were called to the Target, but Thursday evening's arrest report provided some additional details.
The report charges one of the suspects, 18-year-old Michael Samuel Gomez, with petit theft in connection with the incident.
According to the reporting officer, multiple deputies responded to the Target at about 7 p.m. in reference to a suspicious vehicle with an obscured license plate.
Deputies reported seeing two people exit the vehicle — described as a black Audi — and enter the store while "wearing masks and a hoodie."
One deputy contacted loss prevention at the Target to warn workers about the two individuals and was told that they had already been seen concealing food and other items, the report said.
"(The loss prevention officer) confirmed the two suspects exited the store without paying for a pizza and multiple packs of Pokemon cards," it said.
The report identified Gomez as one of the two individuals who allegedly took the items from the Target.
After the two individuals got back into the Audi, the vehicle was stopped by deputies, the report said.
"A takedown was attempted, which resulted in an officer-involved shooting," it said. "The two suspects were transported to the hospital and treated for their injuries."
While the report gives details surrounding the incident, it did not explain when or why weapons were drawn and fired by deputies.
The report indicated that Gomez did not have a weapon at the time of the incident.
Investigators taped off a large area of the parking lot beside the Target on Wednesday night, but the caution tape was removed during the early morning Thursday.
— Jeff Allen (@News13JeffAllen) April 28, 2022We are on a scene in Kissimmee where @OsceolaSheriff has an entire shopping plaza blocked off with crime scene tape after reports multiple people were shot in the area.
Sheriff if is here and we are expecting to learn more soon.
Stay with @MyNews13 for the very latest. pic.twitter.com/iNRfCFiOX8
That is when the Osceola County Sheriff's Office’s mobile command center also drove away, after spending hours parked.
No other information was immediately released on the initialshoplifting call or the shooting that followed.