ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando police are searching for answers in a deadly shooting in the heart of downtown Orlando that left a veteran dead.
According to police, the shooting occurred near the intersection of Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard Sunday morning.
Orlando police responded to the area after hearing gunshots around 2:30 a.m.
Police said a short time later they located the body of a male who was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon said the victim, 34-year-old Joseph Torres, didn’t know the person who shot him.
“No connection between the two except you have one individual who felt empowered to take the life of another individual,” Rolon said.
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Police said Torres was walking towards his car after getting a couple of empanadas at a restaurant, when he encountered a group of people who were standing near a building. When Torres tried to walk through the group, police said a suspect blocked the path and began to fight Torres.
“Someone in a group was offended by it. In the process others in the group began beating Mr. Torres and as he was trying to get away the original instigator shot him multiple times,” Rolon said.
Video posted to Twitter shows people running for their lives in the downtown area after hearing the gunshots.
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Rolon didn’t say if they have any suspects or if anyone is in custody at this time. Rolon also said investigators are reviewing footage from cameras from the area, but wouldn’t say if the incident was captured on video.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS(8477).
This investigation is ongoing.
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