FDLE completes investigation into fatal shooting Salaythis Melvin
FDLE completes investigation in deputy shooting
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has completed its investigation of the death of Salaythis Melvin, who was fatally shot by an Orange County deputy sheriff. The agency's findings have been turned over to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office.
LAKE MARY, Fla. - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has completed its investigation into the death of a man who was fatally shot by an Orange County sheriff's deputy.
The agency's findings have been turned over to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office. It is now up to state prosecutors to decide whether Deputy James Montiel will face any charges after shooting Salaythis Melvin as he ran through a parking lot of The Florida Mall over the summer.
The incident happened on August 7. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office initially said deputies were looking for a man who was wanted for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and who was also a person of interest in a shooting. Deputy Montiel reportedly pursued Melvin, 22, during this search and shot him in the back as he fled, killing him. The arrest affidavit claims that Melvin had a stolen gun on him.
Body camera video released of the incident showed the incident from a distant angle. Demonstrators and Melvin's family attorney claim that the body camera videos also show that the deputy who fired was not in marked clothing at the time.