Kissimmee’s Police Department tries to piece together the shooting death of two of its officers.<\/b>
\nA second Kissimmee Police officer has died after a Friday night attack on law enforcement.
Sgt. Richard \u201cSam\u201d 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 \u201cscuffle\u201d broke out, O\u2019 Dell said. That\u2019s 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 \u2014 who were wearing body armor underneath their uniforms \u2014 did not have a chance to return fire. O\u2019 Dell said \u201cit looked like they were surprised\u201d by the gunfire.
Miller fled to Roscoe\u2019s Bar at 2344 N. Orange Blossom Trail, where Osceola County Sheriff\u2019s Office detectives found him about 11: 30 p.m. When the officers approached him, Miller reached for his waistband \u2014 but a fast-acting deputy tackled him to the ground and arrested him, O\u2019 Dell said.
\u201cExtremely brave and heroic actions by the deputy, there were other people in the vicinity, \u201d O\u2019 Dell said. \u201cThey went hands-on, tackled him to the ground and secured him [and] located a 9mm and .22 revolver on his person.\u201d
When officers took Miller to the Osceola County Jail Saturday, they placed Baxter\u2019s handcuffs on his wrists, O\u2019 Dell said.
The Sheriff\u2019s Office recently took Miller into custody under Florida\u2019s 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\u2019 Dell said the community needs to work with law enforcement. Social media posts showed Miller threatening law enforcement, O\u2019 Dell said, \u201cbut we never got a call on that.\u2019 \u2019
A Facebook page believed to be Miller\u2019s is filled with posts expressing anger over racism, slavery and the KKK. In one post, he shared a meme encouraging people to \u201cshoot back\u201d with a photo of Martin Luther King Jr.
\u201cYou can poke a tie [sic] up dog for so long, \u201d Miller wrote.
O\u2019 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.
\u201cWe do not get to stop and cry for someone we\u2019 ve lost or mourn our hero, \u201d O\u2019 Dell said. \u201cAt the time we go through it, the men and women of law enforcement are required to continue working and bring this individual to justice.\u201d
Baxter, 27, was married to a fellow Kissimmee Police officer and had four young children, O\u2019 Dell said. Howard, 36, had one child.
\u201cThey are both wonderful men, family men. They are both very committed to the community, \u201d O\u2019 Dell said. \u201cThey were the epitome of what you ask for in law enforcement officers.\u201d
O’Dell praised other police agencies, including the Osceola and Orange sheriff’s offices and Orlando Police Department, for their help.
\u201cEveryone came to the scene without being asked, \u201d O\u2019 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 \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d were with the Kissimmee Police.
The area where the shooting happened has historically been plagued by crime. O\u2019 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 \u201cravaged the McLaren Circle area, \u201d according to the U. S. Attorney\u2019s 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 \u201crefused to enter the area to provide services to residents.\u201d 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\u2019s 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\u2019 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\u2019s 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 \u201cSam\u201d 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.
Orlando police released 911 calls from the death of 3-year-old Myles Hill on Thursday. Myles died Aug. 7 after being left in a van all day by a day care worker at Little Miracles Academy. The first call, at 8: 06 p.m., from Myles\u2019 grandmother saying he never came home from day care. About 20 minutes later a day care worker calls to say she found Myles dead in the van.<\/p>\n

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