ORLANDO, Fla. – As fallen Orlando officer Kevin Valencia’s funeral is taking place on Wednesday, flags at local government buildings will be flown at half-staff in his honor.
Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a memorandum Tuesday evening ordering that United States and Florida flags be lowered at the Orange County Courthouse, Orlando City Hall and the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee from sunrise to sunset.
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“Officer Valencia fought for his life alongside his family for two years since responding to a call that resulted in his hospitalization. He was awarded a Purple Heart by the Orlando Police Department for his heroic response. Officer Valencia will be remembered for his selfless courage to protect the lives of others at the cost of his own,” the memorandum read.
Valencia was shot in the head on June 11, 2018 while responding to a domestic violence situation in which an armed man had four children holed up in an apartment with him.
After shooting Valencia, the man killed the four children and then himself during a daylong standoff situation.
Valencia spent much of his life after the shooting in a coma, though in October 2020 his wife said he was showing signs of improvement and could interact with her.
He died on March 15. A funeral service will be held Wednesday that will include a procession, a flyover, words of remembrance from his friends, family and coworkers, a video tribute and more.
The ceremony will be streamed live at ClickOrlando.com starting at 11 a.m.