Police officers from the Orlando Police Department and Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies shot and killed a 73-year-old veteran who was having a mental health crisis on Thursday morning.
Though the man’s name has not been released, officials have revealed that they were called to a residential neighborhood just west of the Orlando International Airport early this morning. The police were dispatched after the unnamed man called a veteran’s crisis hotline and said he was contemplating suicide. According to Orlando Sentinel reporter Monivette Cordeiro, the man threatened that there would be “a bloodbath” if police were sent to his home.
The two police agencies told reporters they went to the home in lieu of mental health professionals because of the fear that the man was armed. Orlando Police Deputy Chief José Velez said that they encountered the man carrying a pistol outside his home. Velez says police attempted to de-escalate the situation “for 20 minutes” before the man moved in a “threatening manner” and was fired upon by police from both agencies.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said he was also a veteran and called the situation “tragic.” Orlando Weekly has reached out to both agencies for comment and will update this article when more information becomes available.–
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This article appears in Aug 11-17, 2021.