ORLANDO, Fla. — The fatal shooting of a 20-year-old man by Osceola County deputies ignited community members to hold a candlelight vigil Friday night, amid heightened scrutiny of the lack of transparency coming from Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and what activists said was a growing reputation of excessive force.
Friday evening, a couple dozen community members gathered outside a Kissimmee-area Target where Osceola County deputies killed Jayden Baez and wounded Joseph Lowe and Michael Gomez one month ago Friday.
Sheriff Marcos Lopez said police believed Baez’s black Audi was suspicious for having an obscured tag, though later reports said the car had on a temporary license plate. According to police affidavits released by the Sheriff’s Office nearly two weeks after the shooting, Target loss prevention told detectives Lowe and Gomez were seen stealing a pizza and multiple packs of Pokemon cards.
