The family of Daniel Strada, the innocent bystander who was shot and killed last weekend at a Lake Mary shopping center, spoke during a news conference Thursday morning.
The Strada family said they have received a lot of support from the community.
Daniel’s father, Joe Strada, said his son was well-liked.
Daniel Strada, 28, was out with his friends at a bar in the Colonial Town Park Shopping Center in Lake Mary Sunday morning. Joe Strada said his son was watching the World Cup.
Investigators said Daniel Strada was walking to his car in the parking lot when he was hit by a stray bullet. The bullet was fired during a dispute that escalated between Victor Brown of Orlando and Jorge Vega-Rosado of Orange City, investigators said.
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Download: WFTV mobile apps
The two men had been asked to leave Grafitti Junktion earlier that morning, officials said.
A restaurant manager who said he saw Brown get shot reviewed about two hours' worth of surveillance footage, which showed that Rosado and Brown never interacted or argued in the restaurant.
Deputies said Brown fired at Vega-Rosado after a fight broke out among a group of people in the parking lot near Liam Fitzpatrick's, but the bullet struck Daniel Strada, and Vega-Rosado returned fire, killing Brown.
Because it was self-defense, the State Attorney's Office is not charging Rosado.
“He was just a great kid and it's a tragic situation. As a parent, it's the phone call you (dread) getting. All your life you (dread) getting that phone call, and late on a Saturday night, we got that phone call," Joe Strada said.
Joe Strada said his son liked to help people, especially when it came to fitness.
"He was a great kid with a fantastic smile," he said. "What I said to my family was, 'We don't know why, but God needed him more than we did.'"
Daniel Strada’s family said he was an organ donor, so his organs will help others.
Other stories:
Florida man with no arms accused of stabbing tourist
Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/GRZGPKEIUVHVFAVEGSOJSRA6JQ.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/N6OBX6CWQZAAPOFSXUS4USRK6E.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/EPITFP4YHRHSDBGVLWFOVKARXE.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/AZGFQWU4WVFM3GPAAPB5VEK7LM.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/ZRBUBVWFNJFXJP6ZQG2ANEROVE.png)