ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Sheriff John Mina released a copy of body-worn camera footage from one of the deputies involved in a shooting that left two brothers dead.
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Deputies were called to the Heritage Hotel along South Orange Blossom Trail on Saturday, August 6 for reports of a shooting.
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The responding deputies arrived to find two people had already been shot.
According to the sheriff’s office, 21-year-old Dylan Jimenez and 28-year-old Bryan Richardson, who are brothers, got into an “altercation” with another man at the hotel.
Deputies say Jimenez and the third man, who hasn’t been identified, first began shooting at each other, each injuring the other.
According to the Sheriff’s office, Richardson ran with his brother to a parking lot on the north side of the hotel where he collapsed.
The body camera video released Friday shows the first deputies arriving on scene and immediately attempting to render medical aid to Jimenez.
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Seconds later, they noticed Richardson standing nearby still holding a gun.
The deputies ordered Richardson to drop the gun, but according to the sheriff’s office, he didn’t comply and one of the deputies shot him.
Both Richardson and Jimenez were taken to the hospital and pronounced dead there.
The third man who was involved in the initial shooting was also taken to the hospital and is expected to survive. He hasn’t been identified by the sheriff’s office.
The deputy who fired his gun has also not been identified, but the sheriff’s office says he’s been with the department since 2018. He was placed on paid, temporary administrative leave after the shooting.
The sheriff’s office investigation into the shooting involving Jimenez and the third man is ongoing.
As with any use of force, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the deputy-involved shooting of Richardson.
Mark NeJame, the attorney representing the mother of Jimenez and Richardson, released a statement Friday saying, in part, “We are thankful for the orange County Sheriff’s transparency in releasing the body camera footage to the public...We respect that further camera footage from the first deputy on scene cannot yet be released as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has the matter under investigation.”
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In the statement, NeJame goes on to claim that the third man involved in the shooting was a “known menace and danger” to the Heritage Hotel residents. He says Richardson was using his gun to provide protection to the first deputy on scene and a former EMT who was rendering aid to Jimenez, as the third man was still at-large.
According to the statement, the first deputy on scene gave Richardson consent to do so and knew he was armed with a gun.
See the full statement below:
On August 6th, Ada Blaker witnessed the horror of the death of her two sons within minutes of each other. Her son, Dylan Jimenez was killed as result of a gunshot wound sustained from an individual believed to be another resident of the Heritage Hotel, located at 7900 S Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando. The alleged shooter was reported to be a known menace and danger to the residents. We are aggressively investigating the seeming lack of security and precautions that Heritage failed to institute. Her other son, Bryan Richardson, was standing next to his fallen brother with a firearm in hand as he was providing protection to the Deputy and to a former EMT attempting to render aid to Dylan as the scene had not yet been secured. The deputy and others at the scene were still potentially at risk from the still at-large shooter.
We are thankful for the Orange County Sheriff's transparency in releasing the body camera footage to the public today. Sheriff Mina continues to exhibit the transparency in leadership that other departments throughout the state should emulate. We respect that further camera footage from the first deputy on scene cannot yet be released as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has the matter under investigation.
So far, our investigation has established that multiple witnesses have reported that the Deputy on scene knew that Bryan Richardson was in possession of his gun. By all accounts, Bryan Richardson was providing protection to the Deputy and those providing aid to his dying brother. Witnesses indicate that this occurred with the explicit knowledge and consent of that Deputy. We are investigating as to why there was an apparent lack of communication between the Deputies and if the killing of Ada Blaker's second son was avoidable if the deputies had communicated according to policy.
Ada Blaker, having lost both her children right before her eyes, is in mourning with family and it is not likely that she will ever recover from this tragedy. She, her family, and the public deserves the truth to be brought to light.
— Mark NeJame - Attorney for Ada Blaker, Dylan Jimenez and Bryan Richardson
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