On Thursday, police identified the man who was fatally shot by an off-duty officer at an RV park in Fort Lauderdale.
According to Fort Lauderdale Police, the incident occurred Wednesday evening at the Yacht Haven Park & Marina Resort, located at 2323 West State Road 84.
According to authorities, property management informed Lieutenant Jonathan Bohm, an off-duty officer, about a guy inside the premises causing a disturbance.
Bohm arrived at the site in his unmarked police cruiser, emergency lights engaged, and requested assistance from other officers. He approached a man who claimed to have a gun.
During the incident, Bohm fired his pistol and struck the victim. Damian Orozco, 49, was transferred to the hospital and eventually died.
Ruth Lenihan stated her two young sons, aged ten and seven, witnessed the entire incident.
“My kids could have been caught in the crossfire and could’ve been dead today, so it’s scary,” she said. “They saw the man holding his shirt up … the cop was saying, ‘Don’t move any closer or I’m going to shoot you,’ and the man moved closer and my son saw him get shot.”
Lenihan, who had been camping at the campground for a few weeks, said a mother nearby grabbed her sons and dragged them to safety when she heard the gunfire.
“A woman grabbed my kids and threw them into a camper, so they called me and I ran up a dock to get them,” according to her.
Police have not revealed the circumstances behind the incident.
“The officer made contact with an adult male, then requested other officers to assist with that individual,” Fort Lauderdale Police Major Patrick Hart said. “At some point, the officer discharged his firearm and requested EMS.”
According to Lenihan and several neighbours, the argument was about power.
“He was arguing with the guy about no power,” she said.
Bohm was placed on administrative leave with pay until the results of the investigation, which is the usual procedure following police-involved shootings.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will handle the investigation.
This is the fourth police-involved shooting in the previous six weeks in Fort Lauderdale.
The most recent occurred less than two weeks ago at a gas station when police suspected a driver — whom they were attempting to pull down for a traffic stop — had exited a vehicle with what cops believed to be a weapon. The suspect later died of his injuries.
On January 9, another guy was shot and killed by two Fort Lauderdale police officers after investigations discovered he had a fire-starting device in his hand.
In December, Jalen Moore, 22, was shot and died outside his home after holding his brother hostage at gunpoint. Moore was repeatedly requested to drop the gun, according to police, but he disobeyed their demands.
