Orlando veteran shot, killed after threatening officers with gun, sheriff says

ORLANDO, Fla. - A man was fatally shot during an officer-involved shooting on Thursday.

Orlando police say they responded to the home in the 3100 block of Cashmere Drive just before 9 a.m. for a well-being check of a man in his 70s. 

They say the man had called the veteran's crisis hotline threatening to harm himself. Officials say the man said on the phone, "If the police get called, there's going to be blood."

Police say when they showed up at the house, the man had a gun. They talked to the man for 20 minutes trying to get him to put it down. Orange County deputies were called for back-up.

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At some point, police say the man-made threatening movements toward the officers and they opened fire. 

The man succumbed to his injuries. 

"They tried to deescalate the situation," Orange County Sheriff John Mina said. "This person not only made threatening statements on his initial call but made threatening statements here at the scene."

"This is a tragedy," police said. They encourage anyone who needs crisis assistance to reach out for help. 

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