New video shows shooting involving deputy outside Orange County Walmart
New video shows shooting involving deputy outside Walmart
New video shows the moments leading up to a deputy shooting a man outside a Walmart last month along East Colonial Drive. Officials say the man, later identified as Jason Beal, stole a shopping cart full of items and was seen walking down the street carrying a knife.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - The Orange County Sheriff's Office has released a few clips of bodycam video showing the moments leading up to the shooting of a man suspected of shoplifting from a Walmart store.
The shooting happened on Feb. 22, 2026, near the Walmart on E. Colonial Drive.
Deputies identified the suspect as Jason Anthony Beal, 48, who is accused of filling a shopping cart with various items and walking out of the store without paying for any of it. Deputies found Beal at an intersection across the street from the Walmart, where the shooting eventually happened.
He was shot and taken to the hospital. He was then booked into jail on various charges, including armed robbery with a deadly weapon and resisting an officer with violence.
New video
The sheriff's office released one of its "critical incident" videos, which includes surveillance video from inside the Walmart and from two deputies' body cameras.
In the video, a sheriff's office deputy approaches Beal and tells him to stop and get on the ground. Beal appeared to mumble various things, but it was not clear what he said. He does not get on the ground.
OCSO said the deputy then deployed his Taser, but it did not have any impact Beal.
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The deputy then yells at Beal "not to reach" several times, before firing his weapon. Another deputy arrived on scene about the time that one other deputy fired his weapon.
Two knives were found in Beal's possession, OCSO said.
Was the dog shot? No, OCSO says
Beal did have a dog with him. As the deputy fired his weapon, according to the video, it appears that the dog is either whining or yelping.
Several on social media who saw the video thought that the dog may have been shot. OCSO said the dog ran away after the shooting, but it wasn't immediately clear what had happened after.
On Friday, OCSO said in a post on X that the dog was later found and taken to Orange County Animal Services. The sheriff's office said the dog had not been shot.
Sheriff: Suspect sas ‘extensive’ criminal story
Mina called Beal's criminal history "extensive." According to Mina, Beal has a criminal history throughout multiple counties in Florida.
Beal was most recently arrested by the OCSO in a stabbing incident, but was released from the jail after 33 days on his own recognizance. He was released on Feb. 3.
Live | Orange County Sheriff John Mina: Suspect shot after not following deputy orders
The Orange County Sheriff's office responded to a Walmart on East Colonial Drive regarding reports of a man attempting to steal from the store. When deputies arrived, the man – later identified as Jason Anthony Beal, 48 – was walking out of the store wearing a ski mask and pushing a shopping cart full of merchandise, Sheriff John Mina said. "The deputy gave the man numerous commands to stop. The man did not comply with those commands," the sheriff said. The deputy fired his taser, which didn't have any effect and, "shortly after that, the deputy could be heard saying, ‘Don’t reach, don't reach,' three times and then our deputy fires his service weapons at the suspect, striking him several times."
"It's disappointing because this is a person that is going to hurt someone, eventually," Mina said. "He stabbed someone last year and was released on his own recognizance. It's very frustrating because in other counties, their jails are full – they're so full they have people sleeping on the floor – according to the sheriffs that I've talked to about it. I don't know why we're releasing people with violent criminal histories out onto our streets."
Beal is also a registered sex offender.
State Attorney Monique Worrell: ‘We did not have the evidence required to file charges and meet our burden in court’
State Attorney Monique Worrell released a lengthy statement on Monday afternoon, following comments made by Orange County Sheriff John Mina. We've included her full statement below.
"Let me be clear about how this works.
Under Florida law, the State has 33 days from the date of arrest to file formal charges. If charges are not filed within that timeframe, the court is required to release the individual. That is not a policy decision. That is state law.
Whether someone stays in custody is not based solely on their prior criminal history. In fact, if Mr. Beal had $5,000 or $500 and access to a bondsman, he could have been released after first appearance. Whether we file charges within the 33-day statutory window is based on the strength of the admissible evidence in front of us. Sometimes, within that timeframe, we have what we need to move forward. Sometimes, we do not.
In this case, at the expiration of the statutory deadline, we did not have the evidence required to file charges and meet our burden in court. Our prosecutors continue to work with law enforcement to determine next steps consistent with the law.
This is not the first time evidentiary challenges have affected this individual’s cases. He previously had matters before this office in 2023 and again in 2024 during the appointed administration. In those cases, prosecutors encountered similar issues, including non-cooperative victims and limitations in proving the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. That context matters. These decisions are not about administration or partisan politics — they are about whether the admissible evidence meets the legal burden required to proceed in court.
The State Attorney’s Office is not responsible for ensuring jail floors are riddled with human beings. Our responsibility is to follow the law and make filing decisions based on evidence — not jail capacity. Public safety matters. So does due process. Our job is to uphold both."
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Orange County Sheriff's Office.