ORLANDO, FL – July 17, 2020 - According to an online news report published
on ClickOrlando.com, an Orlando man told law enforcement that he was tired of being bullied
by his roommate, and he had reached his limit. The suspect stated that after he reached his
breaking point when the roommate bullied him over a drink of water. At that moment, the
suspect stated that he shot his roommate three times.
According to the Orlando Police Department, the shooting incident occurred at approximately 6
p.m. on Saturday evening. The incident happened on Ivey Lane. Initially, a 22-year-old man and
his 16-year-old girlfriend had been arrested when eyewitnesses observed the couple fleeing the
area and jumping into a Lyft. However, new information led law enforcement officers to place
the 22-year-old man´s great uncle, according to Orlando Police Department records.
According to the arrest affidavit, the suspect provided law enforcement officers with incorrect
information. The suspect stated that a male stranger knocked on his door, aimed a pistol at him,
and then fired shots at his roommate who was in the kitchen. Orlando Police said the suspect
later admitted he lied, and he wanted to be sure that his grand-nephew, who the suspect stated
was like a son, would not face unjust and false charges.
As the police interviewed the suspect inside his home, the law enforcement officers had intended
to confront the suspect to see if the 22-year-old grand-nephew was the shooter. However, the
suspect stated that the victim, his roommate, frequently “bullied” him, shouted at him, and would
call him bad names, the arrest report said.
On the day of the shooting, the suspect and the victim were engaged in an argument in the
kitchen. The argument was about “a drink of water,” according to the suspect. The victim began
to call the suspect names, and the victim yelled at the suspect as the roommate walked away
from the suspect. The suspect then entered his bedroom, grabbed his pistol, and then shot the
victim three times, according to the arrest affidavit.
According to the statements made in the report by a law enforcement officer, the suspect
contended his actions were self-defense since the suspect was tired of receiving the bullying for
such a long time. Also, the report stated that the suspect could not provide any more details
insinuating that the suspect feared for his life moments before the shooting.
The victim was able to identify the shooter. The police interviewed the victim who was intubated
at a hospital. However, the victim nodded and displayed an emotional response when one of the
detectives asked the victim of the suspect was the person who shot him.
The pistol used in the near-fatal shooting was not found at the scene. The suspect stated that he
tossed the pistol into the garbage. The garbage was already picked up, according to the arrest
affidavit.
The suspect also stated that his great-nephew and his girlfriend were inside his bedroom at the
moment of the shooting. The couple begged him not to grab the pistol, and the couple fled the
scene after the shooting occurred. The suspect told the couple to run away so they would not be
charged in the attack, according to the authorities investigating the case. The suspect is facing
attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, destruction of evidence, and perjury.