ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County deputies are investigating after two men were found shot early Friday.
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Deputies were called for reports of a shooting just before 5 a.m. on Southland Boulevard and Orange Blossom Trail, not far from the Florida Mall.
Photos: Orange County deputies respond to crime scene on Orange Blossom Trail
When officers arrived they found two men in their 20s who were shot.
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Both were taken to a hospital where one of the men was pronounced dead.
The other victim is in critical condition at the hospital, deputies said.
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What would have been a busy shopping center the day before New Year’s Eve is now the center of a shooting investigation.
“New Year’s Eve is tomorrow and look what a family has to deal with,” a man said. “We have to do better.”
Jaydah Azeez was waiting across the street from her shop, two doors down from the restaurant. She was unable to get into work on Friday.
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Police tape and several cruisers were at the Shoppes of Southland as our crew first arrived.
Azeez and other people waited for the crime scene tape to come down and said people tend to get together at La Belle Caribbean Restaurant.
“It’s pretty hectic sometimes,” she said.
Another man across the street was in shock at the scene. He had gone inside the restaurant last month.
“It’s just like every other restaurant, hookah spot,” he said. “You come here for a good time.”
Watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for updates on this developing story.
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