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Police ID man who died in shootout with officer outside Olive Garden in Orlando

Still unknown exactly how man died, police say

ORLANDO, Fla. – A man is dead after an officer-related shooting Saturday night outside of an Olive Garden on Conroy Road, Orlando police said.

The man was identified Sunday as 19-year-old Sebastian Sepulveda Roman, who officers said used a stolen gun.

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A gun that Orlando police said was reported stolen and used Saturday night by a man who died in a shootout with an officer. (Orlando Police Department)

According to Orlando police Chief Orlando Rolón, the crime scene at the restaurant was one of two total.

Speaking to reporters Saturday, Rolón said the first scene occurred outside of Mall at Millenia at 7:12 p.m., when Roman was being escorted out of the Neiman Marcus by an extra duty officer for “irrational” behavior. Roman then produced a firearm, shots were fired, and he ran, Rolón said.

Rolón initially clarified that shell casings found at the first scene still needed to be analyzed to determine whether they belonged to the extra duty officer or to Roman.

“Ballistics will have to be part of the investigation to determine what cases that we recover at that (Millenia) scene belong to what gun, and then there’s another scene of course, the shooting incident by the Olive Garden where we’ll have to go through that process also to determine what rounds were fired from what guns,” Rolón said.

In the update Sunday, police said the extra duty officer did not discharge his weapon because he was concerned for the safety of nearby citizens in the parking lot.

The extra duty officer, who police said received minor injuries, called for immediate backup and provided a description of Roman, who soon approached another officer’s vehicle near the Olive Garden. According to police, shots were then exchanged while the on duty officer was still sitting in their vehicle.

The end result was Roman’s death, occurring without injury to the second officer, but Rolón said it’s still unknown exactly how he died.

“We have one subject and now we’re trying to determine whether he was shot and killed by our officer, himself, or even may have suffered a fatal injury when he fell,” Rolón said.

The officers involved were placed on administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates.

“We will conduct a thorough review of this incident,” Rolón said in a statement. “My condolences go out to the family of the individual deceased and to the officers and their families who are now dealing with a traumatic experience.”

One witness was Chelsea Riley, who works at the Olive Garden.

“It was really scary, everyone was crying,” said Riley, adding there were 50 customers in the kitchen of the restaurant.

This is a developing story. Check back with News 6 for the latest updates.


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