Police officer shoots, kills man in downtown Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. – A police officer shot and killed a man suspected of being involved in drug activity early Monday in downtown Orlando, officials said.

The fatal shooting happened around 1:50 a.m. near Jefferson Street and North Orange Avenue.

Orlando police said officers were proactively patrolling the area, a hotspot for recent criminal activity.

“Downtown’s always been very challenging just because of the large amount of people and this is the part we’ve been very proactive in our enforcement and patrol,” Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said during a news conference. “This is an area where we seize a lot of firearms in, and I think we’re doing the best we can. I think there’s always more you can do, but we have a lot of officers down there working very hard to keep everyone safe.”

Police said officers had probable cause that the man, later identified as 26-year-old Derek Diaz, was involved in drug activity.

According to police, the man disobeyed commands given by the officer and made a sudden movement. The officer opened fire, striking the man, who was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

“The officers were doing a drug investigation and basically, the person who is the suspect, made a quick movement as to retrieve a firearm and the shooting happened,” Smith said.

No gun was found, Smith said.

Smith said he has reviewed video from a body camera the officer was wearing. It will be made public within 30 days, police said.

The officer was placed on paid administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates, which is standard procedure.