Eyewitness Describes Scene Of Fatal Police Shooting

Channel 9 has a new eyewitness account of the moments before a University of Central Florida police officer was gunned down by an Orlando police officer.

Eyewitness News has learned at least one of the shots fired during the chaos outside the Citrus Bowl on Saturday night hit an RV in the parking lot. Channel 9 talked to a man who said he saw the whole incident clearly, from the warning shots fired by Officer Mario Jenkins to the deadly shots fired by Orlando Police Department officer Dennis Smith.

There has been an outpouring of support at the University of Central Florida police department headquarters and the officers were asking businesses and community members to lower their flags to honor officer Mario Jenkins.

Meanwhile, the investigation into his death continues as new witnesses recount their close brush with the shooting.

"I was actually sitting on the bed and it was right there," said eyewitness Joe Comito.

Email News Sign-Up Multiple Choices - Auto sign-up (LEFT ALIGN) GET WFTV NEWS HEADLINES BY EMAIL 9 a.m. Headlines Noon Headlines 4 p.m. Headlines News of the Strange Breaking News Alerts From the window of his RV, Comito watched two people get shot. He just learned another RV, right next to his, ended up with bullet holes in it.

"That's pretty nerve-racking, 'cause I was right in the back of my RV and that wasn't gonna stop a bullet. So when I heard, it was a little more distressing," Comito said.

But it wasn't as distressing as what he saw through the window. What he now knows was UCF Officer Mario Jenkins was working undercover trying to control a crowd.

"He's already got his gun out, 'cause I heard two shots, and he fires two more shots in the air, and soon as he started shooting in the air, the gentleman came from behind him and kind of grabbed him and tried to get his gun. That's when the gentleman turned and shot him in the stomach. He fell," Comito explained.

Michael Young, 24, had been shot. Comito said, right after that happened, Jenkins waved the gun back around to control the crowd.

"It kind of looked like a random shooter, 'cause from my vantage point I didn't see a badge," Comito said.

Orlando police officer Dennis Smith, who came running up at that moment and fired three shots into Jenkins' back, didn't see a badge either. Comito said any shooting at a football game is unnecessary, but he did see Jenkins in a tough situation.

"When you see someone getting converged on, and he was almost being attacked by a crowd, it's somewhat justifiable at that point too," Comito said.

Those are all things the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was now looking into. They interviewed more than 50 eyewitnesses to piece together exactly what happened, but it will likely be weeks before they finish the investigation.

Previous Stories: September 27, 2005: FDLE Investigates Fatal Shooting Of UCF Officer At Game September 26, 2005: Man Shot During Altercation Before UCF Game September 26, 2005: Officers, Students Surprised And Saddened By Officer's Death September 25, 2005: FDLE Begins Investigation In Undercover Cop's Death