OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Two Osceola County deputies will not be charged in connection with a deadly shooting outside of a Target store near Kissimmee, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation.
▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS
On Tuesday, State Attorney Andrew Bain held a news conference and stated that the deputies who fired into a car outside the store have been cleared of any wrongdoing by a grand jury.
Osceola County deputies Scott Koffinas and Ramy Yacoub will not be charged in the death of Jayden Baez or in connection with injuries suffered by Baez’s passengers.
Read: Grand Jury begins hearing testimony in deadly 2022 Target shooting in Osceola County
The shooting happened after Michael Gomez and Joseph Lowe allegedly stole Pokémon cards and pizza from the store in April 2022.
Deputies said Baez rammed his car into a Sheriff’s Office vehicle when deputies tried to stop him.
But their attorneys have argued that the men had no idea the approaching vehicles were being driven by deputies because they had not identified themselves as law enforcement officers.
This is the first decision made on an officer-involved shooting since Orange-Osceola County State Attorney Andrew Bain established a new policy, requiring that all officer-involved shootings be present to a grand jury.
Read: Department of Justice investigating officer-involved shooting at Osceola County Target store
The grand jury is expected to comment on the shooting and could even provide recommendations about what should or should not have happened during the incident.
“We’re seeing too many things happen too many times in Osceola County. And we’re hoping that this grand jury as well as the federal grand jury puts an end to these horrific practices,” said Mark NeJame, victim’s attorney.
Read: New questions raised into deadly deputy-involved shooting at Target in Osceola County
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2023 Cox Media Group
