ORLANDO, Fla. — Police remained on the scene of an officer-involved shooting near MetroWest in Orlando for nearly 14 hours on Wednesday.
The incident unfolded shortly before 1 a.m. near the Vista Verde apartments along Hiawassee Road near Raleigh Street, the Orlando Police Department said.
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At a press conference Wednesday, a spokesperson for the department said officers responded to the apartment complex after receiving several 911 calls from residents about a suspicious incident.
Callers reported an armed man who was knocking on windows at the complex and “acting erratically,” according to Deputy Chief Eric Smith.
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Some residents also reported hearing possible gunfire.
“We heard the gunshots and my daughter ran in the room,” neighbor Eric Anderson said. “So at the time I thought somebody probably got shot.”
Officers arrived and spotted the man, identified as Steffan Haskins, 35, in the Vista Verde parking lot.
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Officers said Haskins took off running, with a gun, toward a car with an innocent bystander, and attempted to carjack the bystander.
Police said the shooting happened when officers tried to apprehend Haskins.
#BreakingNews There was an officer involved shooting in Metrowest off Hiawassee Rd and Raleigh St. The suspect was rushed to the hospital. No officers were hurt. Watch @WFTV for more. pic.twitter.com/iX1lovzQxM
— Q McCray (@QMcCrayWFTV) December 29, 2021
Officers said Haskins is expected to survive, “due to the immediate first aid rendered by the officers whose lives were just threatened.”
Haskins is charged with carjacking with a firearm, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm, and aggravated assault with a firearm.
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OPD said neither the officers nor the bystander were hurt during the shooting.
RIGHT NOW: We are currently investigating an Officer-Involved-Shooting at the 1300 block of S Hiawassee Rd. Media, your staging area is at 6475 Raleigh St. (Mobil 1 Lube Express) where Deputy Chief Eric Smith will soon be providing you with more details. pic.twitter.com/vrou1ME5nS
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) December 29, 2021
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting and once its findings are complete, the Orlando Police Department said it will conduct its own investigation of the incident.
In the meantime, OPD said five officers involved in the shooting are on temporary paid administrative leave.
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See map below for location of shooting:
