ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man who was shot by an Orange County deputy outside a mall on Friday died as a result of his injuries on Saturday, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The man has been identified as 22-year-old Salaythis Melvin, deputies said.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Melvin served time for several offenses in the past, including Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer and resisting an officer with violence.
An Orange County deputy opened fire Friday on Melvin, who was armed with a stolen Glock handgun outside the Florida Mall, according to Sheriff John Mina.
The sheriff said the incident began Friday shortly after noon when deputies tried to approach a group of four individuals outside Dick’s Sporting Goods because one of the men had an active warrant for his arrest and was also a person of interest in a triple shooting that occurred on Powers Ridge Court in Pine Hills last month.
The suspect our deputies were attempting to apprehend had this stolen gun in his possession. pic.twitter.com/PrsymC1qqF
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) August 7, 2020
During the encounter, Melvin fled and deputies chased after him. At some point, Melvin, who had a stolen Glock handgun on his person, was shot by a deputy, according to the sheriff.
Melvin was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center to undergo surgery before passing away.
Mina said the three other people who were in the group have been taken in for questioning.
“We’re going to sort out what their ties to any other crimes are,” Mina said.
Although the shooting happened at a busy mall in the middle of the day, Mina said the area where the incident occurred was relatively secluded.
Law enforcement activity near Florida Mall. Please avoid the area and expect delays on the roads in the area. pic.twitter.com/HmOPfgvFjn
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) August 7, 2020
“That part of the parking lot they were in was vacant at the time and there weren’t a lot of people there and this group is suspected of violence. So we wanted to get that person into custody and talk to them about the violence in our community,” Mina said.
No law enforcement officers were injured. One deputy, who has been on the force for more than a decade, fired his weapon. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the deputy-involved shooting, which is standard procedure.
Body camera video from the shooting will also be reviewed.
Check back for more updates on this developing story.