ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando police released body-camera video on Thursday of two officers opening fire on a man who pointed a gun at them, according to investigators.
The shooting, which happened on Sept. 26, ultimately led to a manhunt.
According to a news release, officers were flagged down around 11 p.m. in the area of Carter Street and Parramore Avenue by someone saying they had just been robbed.
The victim told officers he had been held up underneath the 408 Interstate bridge on South Parramore Avenue, records show. The victim said two men had approached him and one — later identified as Carlos Rosas, 36 — pointed a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson at the victim’s head, an arrest affidavit states.
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Police said Rosas took $300 from the victim and then ran off. The victim was able to provide officers with a description of Rosas, but not of the other man, records show.
Officers began to search the area, ultimately coming across Rosas in the area of Conley Street and Short Avenue, according to investigators.
Police originally reported that Rosas fired shots at the officers before they were even able to get out of the patrol vehicles; however, a news release now states Rosas “pointed a firearm at the officers and the officers shot at the suspect.”
News 6 has reached out to the Orlando Police Department for more information on what investigators believe happened that night. This story will be updated when the department responds.
The body-camera video released by Orlando police does not clarify the exact sequence of events.
The first video opens with the officer driving. Just as the cruiser comes to a stop in the video, the officer opens the door and dives to the ground. A fraction of a second later in the video, the officer has his weapon drawn and is opening fire. The person being fired at is only seen briefly in the video and appears to be running away.
Investigators said, after two officers opened fire, Rosas dropped his gun and ran off.
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The video then shows the officers radioing for backup, reporting shots fired. The officer wearing the body camera appears upset, cursing on the video with his voice cracking and shaking. Several officers are seen on video attempting to make sure he is OK.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” the officer can be heard saying on the video. “I’m fine. It (expletive) whizzed my ear, bro!”
The second video opens with the officer in the passenger seat of the cruiser the first officer was driving.
As the vehicle stops, the officer wearing the body camera is seen drawing his gun and opening fire through the windshield of the cruiser. The video shows him then stepping out of the vehicle and continuing to fire his weapon. Again, the person being shot at is only seen briefly in the video and appears to be running away by the time they show up on camera.
The officer can be seen in the video checking himself for injuries after the gunfire. Several officers are also seen checking on him, making sure he is OK. The officer complained in the video of hearing loss from opening fire inside the cruiser but said he was fine otherwise.
“Yeah, I just can’t hear nothing,” he can be heard saying to another officer.
Investigators said they recovered the weapon dropped at the scene and managed to find a DNA sample on the gun that matched Rosas.
Rosas was ultimately arrested and booked into the Orange County jail on Oct. 7, records show.
Rosas faces charges of aggravated assault with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and armed robbery with a firearm.
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