ORLANDO, Fla. — One man is dead following a shooting involving a suspect and Orlando Police early Sunday morning.
Orlando Police said detectives saw a fight happening outside of Thrive Cocktail Lounge and Eatery along South Orange Drive around 1:30 a.m. when they saw a handgun fall out of a man's pants.
They said the suspect picked up the gun and put it back in his pants, and while officers approached him, they said he fired one round into the air.
BREAKING NEWS - @OrlandoPolice Chief Smith says officers shot and killed a man outside Thrive - a cocktail lounge near Orange Ave and Central Blvd in dtown Orlando - after the man dropped a gun, grabbed it and shot into the air and then refused to get rid of the gun.@MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/RWajJl7NAh
— Jeff Allen (@News13JeffAllen) April 20, 2025
Police Chief Eric Smith says officers told the suspect to put down his gun, but he would not listen. That's when three OPD officers opened fire.
“The officers approached the suspect, gave them commands to drop the weapon. He refused those commands, he was shot and killed by three officers,” he said during a conference.
On April 20, at approximately 1:30 a.m., OPD Crime Center detectives were monitoring the area of Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard when they observed a physical altercation occur outside Thrive Cocktail Lounge & Eatery, located at 13 South Orange Avenue.
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) April 20, 2025
During the fight,… pic.twitter.com/FE75InYtyc
Smith said the suspect was a Hispanic male in his 30's with multiple drug-related misdemeanor arrests.
The suspect later died at Orlando Regional Medical Health Center from his injuries. No officers were hurt.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) will lead the investigation while the officers involved are on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure for these cases.
