Oct. 1 (UPI) — Orlando, Fla., police shot and killed a man Monday after he entered a hospital emergency room and said he had a gun, authorities said.
Orlando Police Chief John Mina said the 35-year-old man was taken to the emergency room of Orlando Regional Medical Center for a medical condition. While there, Mina added, he made threats to himself and to others and said he was a suspect in a homicide case.
While police crisis negotiators began talking to the man, he told medical staff he would “shoot anyone who came near him.” When he appeared to reach for a weapon, police shot him.
Mina said the man, who was not immediately identified, was shot by three officers. The chief also said the man acted like he was reaching for a weapon, but it was later determined he didn’t have a gun.
The emergency room was placed on lockdown but the rest of the hospital operated normally. The three police officers involved in the shooting were put on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Orlando police are looking into the man’s claims that he was tied to a homicide case.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate Monday’s shooting.
