ORLANDO, Fla. – A nearby business owner shared surveillance video that he says shows a man prior to his fatal encounter with Orange County deputies inside a LA-Z Boy store on Colonial Drive.
The man, whose name hasn’t yet been released, was killed Sunday after a confrontation with Orange County deputies at the furniture store on East Colonial Drive, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The man initially was struck by a car, then got up and ran back into traffic and was struck by a second car, deputies said.
Kel Lahem, owns Dependable Motor Sales, the business next door to where the shooting happened. He said he saw all of the activity Sunday.
“Cop cars, police tape around the building next door,” Lahem said.
Lahem gave News 6 surveillance video recorded Sunday night. He said it shows the suspect crossing the street on East Colonial Drive, dressed in dark clothing. At one point the man stands in the road.
Orange County Sheriff’s deputies say witnesses told them it appeared as if the suspect was intentionally running into traffic and trying to get hit by cars.
“I feel bad about the whole situation and how it happened,” Lahem said. “It’s too close to home to have issues like this.”
The man then ran into a La-Z-Boy showroom and took out a knife, according to deputies. Employees inside the store called 911.
The man was asked by deputies to drop the knife, but he ignored those pleas and moved towards deputies before being struck by gunfire, authorities said.
“He made a very quick movement towards the deputies at which time they discharged their firearms,” undersheriff Mark Canty said.
The man later died at the hospital.
The two deputies involved in the shooting were uninjured. Neither deputy has been identified. Canty described both deputies as veteran law enforcement officers. One deputy has more than 20 years of experience and the second has more than 11 years, according to Canty.
The two deputies were placed on paid leave which is standard procedure after an officer-involved shooting. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting and turn its findings over to the State Attorney’s Office for review, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Employees at La- Z Boy declined to comment. The business reopened at 1 p.m. Monday.
News 6 is still working to learn more about the deputies involved and the suspect.