![]() “She had a George Floyd case right in her backyard, and she did nothing,” Haynes said Friday. The protest was for the shooting death of Salaythis Melvin by an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy. Protesters yell at police after gathering and blocking traffic at several intersections near the Florida Mall in Orlando on Friday, August 21, 2020. Activists in Orlando, who had already been demanding reforms for months, rallied around seeking justice for Melvin. Melvin’s killing came amid a summer of nationwide demonstrations against police violence following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. They must act in the moment to protect themselves and others, and that’s what our deputy did in this case.” “But our deputies don’t have the luxury to pore over or analyze a video hundreds of times. “We understand that there is heightened scrutiny in cases like these,” Mina said in his statement Friday. ![]() The Florida Supreme Court bolstered that position when it ruled in 2018 that police can be immune from prosecution under the state’s “stand your ground” law. However, they also noted courts have ruled officers can use deadly force if they perceive they are in danger. The experts said the involvement of deputies in marked cars could have helped prevent Melvin’s killing - his family has questioned whether he knew the men chasing him were law enforcement - and he could have been tracked by helicopter as he fled. The Sheriff’s Office released a photo of the gun on social media the day of Melvin’s killing but initially withheld the body-worn camera footage of the incident, before relenting after 11 days of protests outside the mall and mounting pressure from activists.īody camera footage appeared to show Deputy James Montiel, left, stop his foot pursuit of Salaythis Melvin and shift into a shooting stance, as Melvin continued to flee. Melvin not only had a gun but had removed the gun from his waistband and was holding it in his hand,” she said. The state attorney presented a blurry still from a body-worn camera she said showed an object falling from Melvin’s hand when he was shot, which deputies later discovered was a tan firearm. Worrell said Friday no witnesses aside from Montiel saw the full interaction and no footage exists to confirm or refute it. Deputies said the gun Melvin was carrying was loaded and had been reported stolen. (Orlando Sentinel Handout)Ī Sheriff’s Office report based on Montiel’s account said that Melvin turned his head toward the deputy as he fled while his hand was on a pistol in his waistband, which prompted Montiel to fire. Orange County Sheriff’s Office body camera video from the August 7, 2020, fatal shooting of a 22-year-old Salaythis Melvin.
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