Ocoee Police Department identify shoplifting suspect, driver in police-involved shooting
OCOEE, Fla. - Police say it all started after an alleged shoplifter from a nearby Walmart and another person were driving away from Ocoee police. "The officers located the vehicles on one of the surrounding streets.
As they tried to stop it, they went into one of the other local parking lots and struck one of the vehicles that was trying to hit it," said Ocoee Police Dept. Acting Chief Vincent Ogburn.
That’s when Ogburn said the pickup truck went down Old Winter Garden Road and stopped just east of Hempel Avenue. "When the suspect got out of the passenger side and raised his hand with some something in his hand that the officer thought was a weapon, and the officer returned fire and shot him," Ogburn said.
Both the suspect and the driver of the truck were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. At the time of the shooting, police said they didn't find any weapon in the truck the suspects were in. Law enforcement experts say it's a tricky situation. "Standard practice for most major retailers now, most police departments, is they are not going to attempt to engage in deadly force for a retail theft," said security consultant Dave Benson.
They said investigators will have to consider all available evidence to find out what led up to the shooting, including any body-cam video. "Ultimately, the combination of a body-worn camera, witness testimony, the officer's account of what happened, the evidence collected on-scene is what helps the investigators then determine a conclusion," said Orlando Rolon, former Orlando Police chief.
Ocoee police have identified the two people in the car. One is Gregorio Mendoza Moreno, the other is a juvenile. Moreno has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, retail theft, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is also involved with the investigation. That's protocol for officer-involved shootings. The Ocoee Police Department is still investigating this case. They said the suspect and driver are both cooperating with police.