ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A man and a woman died in an apparent murder-suicide at an apartment complex Wednesday morning, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.
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Deputies were called shortly before 10:15 a.m. to the Residence at West Place apartments on Sherwood Terrace Drive near West Colonial Drive and Apopka-Vineland Road in reference to a man with a gun.
“While deputies were en route to the incident, a caller said the man had fired his gun,” a Sheriff’s Office spokesman said. “As deputies were arriving on scene, they heard additional shots being fired before finding two people who had been shot.”
Deputies said they discovered a woman who had been shot and a man who appeared to have a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Both were taken to a hospital, where they died.
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Investigators said an innocent bystander in their apartment was also grazed by one of the suspect’s bullets and was treated at the scene.
“Deputies are not looking for any outstanding suspects,” the spokesman said. “We don’t anticipate having names for release until possibly tomorrow. It’s still very early in the investigation, and it’s important that detectives are able to continue their work in this case.”
Edwin Valentin told Channel 9 that he believes the man and woman are boyfriend and girlfriend.
He said he heard the man shouting at the woman
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“The girl was just afraid and, like, ‘Please back away from me. I’m scared. Go inside. We can talk about this,’” Valentin said. “But he said, ‘No, we’re not going to talk. What’s wrong with you?’”
He said he then heard the woman tell the man, “The police are behind you. Stop!”
Valentin said he then heard at least four gunshots fired.
“We’re still surprised, but this (has) happened before,” he said. “It’s like the third or fourth body I’ve seen in this neighborhood alone.”
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