Derek Diaz's family holds vigil after Orlando police shooting: 'Why isn’t he here with us?'
ORLANDO, Fla. - The family of Derek Diaz who was shot and killed by an Orlando Police officer remembered him Sunday during a vigil in downtown Orlando.
They are heartbroken after his death. On Sunday, the family gathered near Jefferson Street and Orange Avenue, which is where Diaz he was shot.
Diaz was shot and killed around 2 a.m. on July 3. Police said Diaz was suspected of illegal drug activity and pulled over. During the interaction with officers, he allegedly refused officers' commands and at some point, made a "movement as to retrieve a gun." As of the latest update from police, a gun had not been recovered on the scene.
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Diaz was a father to a 5-year-old girl. The mother of his child was in tears during Sunday's vigil as she spoke about his loss.
"Why isn’t he here with us? His daughter had his first day of soccer today and she’s asking for him and we have nothing to tell her. We are all going to miss him so much," said Sonja Nava.
The family would like to see the police-worn body camera footage immediately and is calling for it to be released to them.
"We just want to know what happened," Nava said. "That’s all we are asking we want to know what happened. He’s going to buried this week and we don’t know why."
Orlando Police say as per policy, the body camera footage will be released within 30 days of the shooting. Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating, which is standard protocol.