ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said on Wednesday that it turned over its investigation into the shooting to the Office of Jeff Ashton, State Attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit.
Omar Mateen was shot and killed by Orlando police and deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on June 12.
Shootings involving officers are always investigated by FDLE.
The FDLE case will remain active until a determination is made by the State Attorney’s Office regarding the actions of the law enforcement officers, the agency said.
Investigative reporter Karla Ray spoke with Ashton weeks ago about the shooting. He told Eyewitness News that the actions of the 14 law enforcement officers who fired their weapons that night were heroic.
The State Attorney’s Office said it will be reviewed to have a thorough record of what happened on June 12.
Ashton told Eyewitness News earlier this month that he wasn't aware of any shots fired by officers hitting anyone other than Mateen; that will be up to FBI’s investigation.
Ashton has worked to make the review of officer-involved shootings more transparent.
Since taking office three-and-a-half years ago, Ashton reviewed over 97 investigations where use of force came into question and recommended charges against four officers.
During the Pulse incident, Eyewitness News found out there were three instances of shots fired that involved 14 different officers.
Ashton told Ray that a review for a single officer-involved shooting can take several months, so this case could take an especially long time to review.
Cox Media Group
