An armed man was sent to the hospital after a Kissimmee officer-involved shooting on Thursday afternoon, according to the police department.
In a release, police said that officers responded to the 4300 block of West Vine Street around 1:30 p.m. after receiving a call about a man in a parking lot armed with a rifle.
Upon arrival, police “quickly engaged” with the man — later identified as MW, 20 — and shots were fired, the release states.
Following the incident, Police Chief Charles Broadway explained that officers had given W several warnings to put the rifle down.
However, W instead pointed the rifle at officers, prompting them to shoot him, Broadway explained.
“Those officers were forced to shoot the subject to defend themselves and others in the area,” the police chief announced.
But Broadway also said that the firearm turned out to be a BB gun — one made to resemble a “realistic-looking rifle.”
Broadway added that investigators are not yet sure what W’s motives may have been for pointing the rifle at officers.
He was later taken to the hospital, where he remained in stable condition as of Thursday evening, Broadway stated.
Meanwhile, DB told reporters that before the incident, he saw a young man walking around near the area, while holding a gun.
“He was walking very slow,” B recounted. “He looked like he was just looking up in the trees like he was hunting for birds or squirrels.”
B said his first impression was that the man was holding a BB gun, but he acknowledged that in a tense encounter after a 911 call, an officer might very well register the gun as a threat.
“It didn’t look real to me, you know?” B said. “I don’t know, when you’re a police officer and you’ve got to make split decisions… I think you have to be on the side of caution.”
News 6 also spoke to the assistant manager at GameStop, which is located in the strip mall where the incident happened.
“For a moment I was nervous,” S A said. “I knew I needed to lock the door, I need to contact my district manager, and then I contacted my husband and I said, ‘Hey, I love you, I’m safe, don’t worry.’”
A sign posted on the store’s door read, “Closed for safety.”
Aus recounted hearing what sounded like doors closing.
“And then I heard it two more times and I realized, ‘Oh, that’s a gunshot,’” she said.
Per protocol, the State Attorney’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are set to investigate the shooting.
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Source: clickorlando
