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Sanford police chief clears up 'misinformation' on bodycam video

Police release video before double fatal shooting

SANFORD, Fla. – Sanford police cleared up "misinformation" being reported about officers' body camera video released last week showing police response before a double fatal shooting.

Police Chief Cecil Smith hosted a news conference Monday for reporters going over the body camera video play by play.

Sanford police on Friday released body camera videos of two domestic incidents between shooting suspect Allen D. Cashe and his girlfriend hours before authorities said he fatally shot her with an AK-47.

Police also released 911 calls from frantic neighbors who awakened to the sound of gunshots and from a friend of the victim who wanted officers to conduct a well-being check.

Cashe was arrested Monday after police said he shot his girlfriend, Latina Herring, 35, seven times. Her father was shot five times and her two sons, ages 7 and 8, were shot a total of three times, according to an arrest report.

Herring's oldest son, Branden Christian, 8, died a day after he was shot.

Smith addressed criticism that his officers told the victim to "stop calling 911," which was inaccurate.

Herring never called 911 herself on the day of the shooting, Smith said.

One officer's comments in the body camera video were "taken out of context" while the officer was on the phone with Herring's friend, who called 911 for a well-being check after Herring told him that Cashe was abusive, Smith said.

In the video, the officer is heard telling Herring’s friend that she is making “false accusations.”

“I think you’re not getting the whole story, man,” the officer said. “We’re going to handle it, man. Just stop calling 911 and making accusations that you don’t know about.”

[VIDEO: Police called to Wawa before fatal shooting]

Smith said those statements were not made towards Herring. On the call, the officer was trying to get the third-party caller to come in and make a statement as part of the investigation, but he declined.

Herring can be heard saying in the video that she did not call 911.

"That wasn't me I don't play those games," she told officers. "I didn't call 911."

Smith told reporters Monday that the AK-47 used to kill Herring was registered in her name, along with another loaded handgun that was confiscated earlier in the morning.

In the domestic incident about a pair of keys hours before to her death, Smith said officers searched Cashe and his car "multiple times."

"No gun, no keys were located on Mr. Cashe," Smith said.

Herring turned over a handgun to officers and said it was Cashe's, but he denied that it belonged to him.

Police said Cashe returned after 6 a.m. with the AK-47 that was used in the double fatal shooting.

Cashe had more than enough time to return to his home in Volusia County or anywhere in the Central Florida area before going back to shoot and kill Herring, Smith said.


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