Man shot by off-duty FLPD lieutenant at RV park has died; witnesses share account of incident

By Michael Hudak, Vanessa Medina, Rubén Rosario

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    FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (WSVN) — A man who, police said, was injured in an officer-involved shooting at a Fort Lauderdale campsite has died, as more details continue to surface about the incident.

Witnesses told 7News that a plainclothes police officer pulled out a gun and opened fire, striking a man at the Yacht Haven Park & Marina, located at 2323 West State Road 84, near Interstate 95, Wednesday evening.

“I was just sitting in my campsite, and I seen a bunch of cops rolling in,” said Mark Cooper.

Cooper’s 12-year-old cousin Bill said he also wanted to see what was going on.

“We see the cop cars, so we just, like, get all nosy and go over there,” said Bill.

What he saw is traumatizing at any age.

“[The officer] said, ‘I’m gonna shoot you,’ and then he pulled out his gun, basically just shot him, and then he, like, fell face first to the ground,” said Bill.

Paramedics with Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue rushed the man to Broward Health Medical Center.

Thursday night, investigators confirmed the patient succumbed to his injuries. They identified him as 49-year-old Damian Orozco.

Fort Lauderdale Police said the officer who pulled the trigger is one of their lieutenants, who was off-duty at the time.

FLPD Maj. Patrick Hart addressed reporters about the incident on Wednesday night.

“The officer was notified by the property manager that there was a disturbance that was occurring on property. The officer made contact with an adult male,” said Hart.

Audio from police radio captured the moments before and after the incident unfolded.

“He says he has a shotgun, but he doesn’t have it on him right now,” the lieutenant said.

“OK, I’m going to need more people. He may have a shotgun,” a dispatcher said.

Bill said the altercation stemmed from the man being upset that he had to be relocated to another campsite, which wasn’t functioning properly.

“The dude got moved, and he didn’t want to move, and he had no sewage or power in his camper, so he got mad,” he said.

Investigators said an encounter between the lieutenant and Orozco ensued, and Orozco was shot.

“At some point, the officer discharged his firearm and requested [emergency medical services],” said Hart.

“The suspect’s down,” an officer is heard saying in radio transmissions.

“Ten shots fired at Yacht Haven,” said a dispatcher in radio transmissions.

Investigators said that since the lieutenant was off-duty, he was not wearing a camera. He has been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the investigation.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation, which is standard protocol in any officer-involved shooting.

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