Breaking News

Police: Armed man shot by Orlando officers after attempted carjacking

By Gene Saladna, WFTV.com
By Gene Saladna, WFTV.com

ORLANDO, Fla. — Police remained on the scene of an officer-involved shooting near MetroWest in Orlando for nearly 14 hours on Wednesday.

The incident unfolded shortly before 1 a.m. near the Vista Verde apartments along Hiawassee Road near Raleigh Street, the Orlando Police Department said.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

At a press conference Wednesday, a spokesperson for the department said officers responded to the apartment complex after receiving several 911 calls from residents about a suspicious incident.

Callers reported an armed man who was knocking on windows at the complex and “acting erratically,” according to Deputy Chief Eric Smith.

Read: These symptoms are most commonly linked to the omicron variant

Some residents also reported hearing possible gunfire.

“We heard the gunshots and my daughter ran in the room,” neighbor Eric Anderson said. “So at the time I thought somebody probably got shot.”

Officers arrived and spotted the man, identified as Steffan Haskins, 35, in the Vista Verde parking lot.

Read: Deltona school employee accused meeting up with student to smoke marijuana

Officers said Haskins took off running, with a gun, toward a car with an innocent bystander, and attempted to carjack the bystander.

Police said the shooting happened when officers tried to apprehend Haskins.

Officers said Haskins is expected to survive, “due to the immediate first aid rendered by the officers whose lives were just threatened.”

Haskins is charged with carjacking with a firearm, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm, and aggravated assault with a firearm.

Read: Deputies: Driver who killed 2 children, struck 4 others in hit-and-run crash arrested

OPD said neither the officers nor the bystander were hurt during the shooting.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting and once its findings are complete, the Orlando Police Department said it will conduct its own investigation of the incident.

In the meantime, OPD said five officers involved in the shooting are on temporary paid administrative leave.

Read: ‘I’m going with a gun’: Father arrested for threatening to shoot up Central Florida school

Download the WFTV news app and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for live updates on this developing story, or click here to have updates sent straight to your inbox.

See map below for location of shooting:




Most Read