Kissimmee Target shooting: Masked suspects stole pizza, Pokemon cards before deadly gun battle
KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA: New details have emerged in the deadly shooting at a Target store in Kissimmee on Wednesday night, April 27, that left one dead and three others injured. The Osceola County Sheriff's Office said the shooting took place after deputies confronted two people who were suspected of stealing pizza and Pokemon cards.
According to the affidavit, deputies responded to the store around 7 p.m. after someone reported two men walking into the Target wearing masks. A loss prevention officer reportedly saw the two men putting pizzas and Pokémon cards into a bag, and then walking out. The deputies witnessed the suspects getting into a suspicious vehicle. When deputies attempted to arrest four suspects — the affidavit says — it "resulted in an officer-involved shooting." They did not, however, elaborate on what happened that led to two deputies needing to fire their weapons.
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The two men, identified as Michael Gomez, 18, and Joseph Lowe, 19, were taken to the hospital. Both have been charged with petty theft, according to the charging affidavit. Another person had a minor shrapnel injury to their hand, and two others were hurt after falling while running away from the area. All four were adults, Sullivan said, but he did not provide anymore information about the injured.
Officials have not released the name of the person who died. A fourth person who was detained has not been named, and it's unclear what their involvement is.
Earlier on April 27, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos R Lopez said two of his deputies were involved in the shooting and they are doing well. "Two of our deputies are involved in the shooting, we have one deceased male. And I'm not going to be commenting because the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is actually going to assume this investigation and we don't want to step on their toes," he added. The FDLE says agents were at the scene overnight gathering evidence and conducting interviews.
The sheriff's office said the names of the two deputies involved will not be released. Their identities are protected under Marsy's Law.