Three Orlando police officers are on paid administrative leave pending the investigation of the shooting death of an emergency room patient who they say claimed to have a firearm.
No weapon was found on the victim, who was a white male and approximately 35 years old, according to Orlando Police Chief John Mina. The man came to the hospital that morning for an undisclosed medical issue.
“At some point while he was in the hospital, he told hospital staff that he had a gun and that he would shoot anyone who came near him,” Mina said.
“He made a lot of statements about how it’s going to end right here today. He also made statements about being the suspect in some homicide; we’re still trying to track that down,” the officer added.
Mina continued, “He made movements consistent with pulling, reaching for a firearm and he was shot and killed by three officers here,” the police chief said.
The department has not released the man’s identity, pending notification of his next of kin.
The dead patient was the only person injured or killed during the lockdown at the hospital.
“A woman named Sandy, who declined to provide her full name, said she was in the emergency room with her daughter when she heard someone say he had a gun,” according to the Orlando Sentinel. “She said police asked to see his hands and then cleared the hallway.”
