Deputies killed man during shoplifting arrest
The Osceola County Sheriff ’s Office has released virtually no details a day after two deputies killed a man in the parking lot of a Target in Kissimmee’s tourism corridor, which court records indicate stemmed from an attempt to arrest a pair of shoplifting suspects.
The Wednesday night shooting, which left three others injured, happened as deputies tried to take “four suspects” into custody, the agency said, offering no further details as to what led to the shooting.
According to court records, 18-year-old Michael Gómez and another suspect were spotted leaving the store with “a pizza and multiple packs of Pokémon cards” and getting into a black Audi after “multiple units responded ... in reference to a suspicious vehicle” with covered tags.
An affidavit written by Deputy Cole Miller didn’t specify what prompted the shooting other than saying “a takedown [of the car] was attempted which resulted in an officer-involved shooting.” Gómez and Joseph Lowe, who was with him, were taken to the hospital with injuries, the report added.
Gómez is in the Osceola County Jail for petit theft on a $500 bond. Lowe doesn’t appear to have been booked, jail records show, though the affidavit suggests he is facing charges.
Sheriff Marcos López said Wednesday night that two deputies were involved in the shooting, though it’s not clear if Miller was one of them.
The agency said in an unsigned news release Thursday that the names of the deputies who fired their weapons will not be released under Marsy’s Law. The amendment to Florida’s constitution, approved by voters in 2018, is meant to protect victims of crime but has been used to shield the identities of police officers after deadly incidents.
The Sheriff ’s Office also hasn’t released the name of the man killed by deputies or the suspect they said was “detained on scene.” López during a press conference Wednesday night also didn’t say what led to the shooting or what crime the people deputies fired at were suspected of committing.
The deputies involved “are in good health,” the agency said.
The Sheriff ’s Office deferred questions to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which is investigating the shooting. It also hasn’t responded to a public records request for initial reports about the shooting and the 911 call that led deputies to Target.
An FDLE spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking more information about the shooting.
Andrew Sullivan, a spokesman for Osceola County Fire Rescue, said that agency treated and transported four adults from the scene. The male that deputies shot had multiple gunshot wounds and died while in care. Another patient had minor bullet shrapnel injuries to the hand and two had minor injuries they suffered while trying to run away, he said.
The Target store, which was blockaded for hours, is located in a busy area along U.S. 192, also known as West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, near Celebration and about 10 minutes away from the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center.