Kissimmee’s Police Department tries to piece together the shooting death of two of its officers.
A second Kissimmee Police officer has died after a Friday night attack on law enforcement.
Sgt. Richard “Sam” Howard died Saturday from gunshot wounds he suffered when he and fellow officer Matthew Baxter were shot during a routine stop in the McLaren Circle area, according to department spokeswoman.
Baxter died Friday night shortly after the shooting.
Baxter was investigating three suspicious people about 9: 30 p.m. near Palmway and Cypress streets when Howard came to help and a “scuffle” broke out, O’ Dell said. That’s when police say Marine veteran Everett Glenn Miller, 45, shot the officers.
Investigators are still working to understand the details of what happened in the moments before the shooting, officials said.
The officers — who were wearing body armor underneath their uniforms — did not have a chance to return fire. O’ Dell said “it looked like they were surprised” by the gunfire.
Miller fled to Roscoe’s Bar at 2344 N. Orange Blossom Trail, where Osceola County Sheriff’s Office detectives found him about 11: 30 p.m. When the officers approached him, Miller reached for his waistband — but a fast-acting deputy tackled him to the ground and arrested him, O’ Dell said.
“Extremely brave and heroic actions by the deputy, there were other people in the vicinity, ” O’ Dell said. “They went hands-on, tackled him to the ground and secured him [and] located a 9mm and .22 revolver on his person.”
When officers took Miller to the Osceola County Jail Saturday, they placed Baxter’s handcuffs on his wrists, O’ Dell said.
The Sheriff’s Office recently took Miller into custody under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows involuntary commitment of people in mental health crises. Miller, who has no criminal record in Florida, was enlisted in the Marines from 1989 to 2010, according to military records.
O’ Dell said the community needs to work with law enforcement. Social media posts showed Miller threatening law enforcement, O’ Dell said, “but we never got a call on that.’ ’
A Facebook page believed to be Miller’s is filled with posts expressing anger over racism, slavery and the KKK. In one post, he shared a meme encouraging people to “shoot back” with a photo of Martin Luther King Jr.
“You can poke a tie [sic] up dog for so long, ” Miller wrote.
O’ Dell said the news is especially difficult for members of his agency, as they must press forward while suffering the loss of a coworker and friend.
“We do not get to stop and cry for someone we’ ve lost or mourn our hero, ” O’ Dell said. “At the time we go through it, the men and women of law enforcement are required to continue working and bring this individual to justice.”
Baxter, 27, was married to a fellow Kissimmee Police officer and had four young children, O’ Dell said. Howard, 36, had one child.
“They are both wonderful men, family men. They are both very committed to the community, ” O’ Dell said. “They were the epitome of what you ask for in law enforcement officers.”
O’Dell praised other police agencies, including the Osceola and Orange sheriff’s offices and Orlando Police Department, for their help.
“Everyone came to the scene without being asked, ” O’ Dell said.
Kissimmee Police Chief Jeffrey O’Dell provides an update early Saturday morning about a shooting that killed one officer Friday night and gravely injured another.
The last Kissimmee officer killed on the job was shot in 1983.
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence said on social media that their “thoughts and prayers” were with the Kissimmee Police.
The area where the shooting happened has historically been plagued by crime. O’ Dell said Howard and Baxter were doing proactive police work there because it is known for drug sales. In 2008, law enforcement led a crackdown on drugs and violence that “ravaged the McLaren Circle area, ” according to the U. S. Attorney’s Office.
Officers arrested 19 people during that operation, and witnesses in subsequent court cases testified crime was so rampant that mobile businesses such as FedEx, UPS, pizza delivery and taxi services “refused to enter the area to provide services to residents.” Even the U. S. Postal Service stopped its route through the neighborhood for a time.
A prayer vigil will be held at the Hope Mission Church, 1431 Palmway St., at 3 p.m. Sunday. The church sits at the intersection where Howard and Baxter were shot.
The City of Kissimmee has set up an account with SunTrust Bank for individuals interested in donating to Howard and Baxter’s families. Donors can go to any SunTrust Bank location beginning Monday to contribute, a city spokeswoman said.
Kissimmee Police has more than 100 officers. O’ Dell took over the department in August 2016.
Two Jacksonville police officers were also shot on the Westside of Jacksonville, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Two Pennsylvania Troopers were also reported shot late Friday.
It has also been a dangerous year for law enforcement in Central Florida. Lt. Debra Clayton, a 17-year veteran of the Orlando Police Department, was killed in a gunfight in the Wal-Mart parking lot while attempting to arrest Markeith Loyd, a suspect in the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon. Loyd was later captured after a nine-day manhunt.
Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Norman Lewis, a motorcycle officer, was also killed that day during the pursuit for Loyd.
Sgt. Richard “Sam” Howard died Saturday from gunshot wounds he suffered when he and fellow officer Matthew Baxter were shot during a routine stop in Kissimmee’s McLaren Circle area.
Kissimmee Police Chief Jeffrey O’Dell provides an update early Saturday morning about a shooting that killed one officer Friday night and gravely injured another.
Five correctional officials and three nurses were found to have neglected their job responsibilities and failed to achieve the professional standards of their positions while supervising 22-year-old inmate Max Gracia.
The son of an unnamed, longtime UCF staff member was killed after being struck by vehicle near campus.
