ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando police responding to a report of a suspicious person early Saturday shot and killed a man who was armed with an “AR-15-style rifle,” according to police Chief Eric Smith.
Officers arrived around 2:42 a.m. to the 200 block of E. Colonial Drive, showing up to studio workspace apartments — rentable but not intended for living — where the caller had reported someone with a gun was beating on their door, the Orlando Police Department said on social media.
Police were told that the suspect was a few doors down, Smith said during a news conference later Saturday morning. When the officers came upon an open door, the suspect allegedly emerged holding an “AR-15-style rifle,” according to the chief.
“The officers gave verbal commands to drop the weapon. The suspect turned towards the officers. Three officers fired their weapon. The suspect is now deceased,” Smith said.
The department on Monday identified the man as Nick Bingham,62.
The caller reportedly knew who the man was, but Smith said he wasn’t sure what the relationship is, adding it will be part of the investigation.
“For the suspect, the suspect has an out-of-state history. Mostly minor things, not violent. One of the things that stood out was few forged checks, things of that nature, but it was all out of state,” Smith said.
The three officers involved in the shooting had their body-worn cameras activated and will be on paid administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducts a review of the incident, the post states.
Officers gave commands for the suspect to drop the weapon. The suspect disobeyed and was subsequently shot. Officers attempted life-saving measures, but the suspect was pronounced deceased at the hospital.
@OrlandoPolice on X | 5:37 a.m. March 1, 2025 (excerpt)
Once the FDLE investigation is complete, the results will be handed over to the State Attorney’s Office before the Orlando Police Department conducts an internal investigation, according to the post.
News 6’s Emily McLeod went to the scene and spoke with Eric Wood, who told us that he watches the property at night and was woken up as police began to arrive.
“I had already put my uniform on and stepped out, I thought maybe it was somebody coming on the property causing trouble and by the time I stepped out, that’s when all the gunfire had happened,” Wood said.
Wood said that nothing of the sort had ever happened before at the studios, describing them as a normally safe place for artists to come work late at night. He added the studios’ tenants generally get along with one another.
“The initial guy that had the firearm, he always had anger issues, and so it’s a shame,” he said. “He was, periodically, he was staying in his studio at night, not that he’s supposed to or anything, we kind of let it slip sometimes, but he always had some problems.”
We also asked about the man’s relationship with the person who called 911.
“They were friends, far as I know, but as far as speaking to the initial caller this morning there, they haven’t spoken to (the man) because he got tired of his outrage that he had. So they never really talked for at least a couple of weeks. I think most of this situation come about because attacks that was going between the two of them there, that the initial caller never responded back to his text, so that kind of escalated it,” Wood said.
Note: This map depicts the general area of this scene and not necessarily its exact location.
