Standoff in Orlando: Four kids and gunman dead, cop hurt in shootout, officers say
Four children are dead after a standoff between police and a man that lasted more than 20 hours, according to Orlando police, who believe the man also turned the gun on himself.
A police officer was also seriously injured in a shootout with the man who held four children hostage at an Orlando apartment complex before they were killed, according to police.
In an overnight news conference Mina said they entered the apartment and found the children killed by the suspect by apparent gunshot wounds. He said it appeared the man, identified as Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr., took his own life.
Orlando Police Chief John Mina told the Orlando Sentinel they entered the apartment around 9 p.m. but were not sure when the children, ages 1, 6, 10 and 11, died.
"Our hearts go out to all the families," Mina said.
According to WKMG News 6, cell phone service to communicate with Lindsey was not good. When authorities tried to give Lindsey another phone to use, they noticed one child was dead.
Orlando police responded to a domestic violence call at Westbrook Apartments on Eaglesmere Drive at 11:45 p.m. Sunday when a woman told officers her boyfriend, Lindsey, beat her.
When officers went to find him, he opened fire, shooting officer Kevin Valencia, according to police. It is unclear if the man was struck during an ensuing shootout.
Valencia was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center and had surgery for a "very serious and significant injury," but is expected to survive, Mina said during a news conference Monday morning. He also asked for prayers for the injured officer.
Valencia is in his late 20s and was hired by the department in 2016, according to WKMG News 6. A witness told the outlet that the officer was shot in the upper part of his body. He was still listed in critical condition as of Monday afternoon.
Mina said Lindsey is barricaded in his apartment with the four children inside. The police and Orange County Sheriff's Office SWAT teams tried for hours to negotiate with the man.
In a Monday afternoon news conference, Mina urged Lindsey to release the children unharmed and "help us bring this situation to a safe and peaceful resolution." Mina said. He would later tell a crowd of reporters that was not the case.
The Orlando Sentinel reports the SWAT team has been able to speak with Lindsey "a couple of times."
Lindsey is the father of two of the children being held hostage, while the other two are his girlfriend's, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Mina said they have been through the experience of having an officer shot before and called the incident "traumatic."
Other residents of the apartment complex were evacuated overnight.
A woman who lives at the complex and was evacuated told the Orlando Sentinel she was awoken by the sound of gunshots.
"It just went, ‘Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop," Judy Pepper, 44, said.
When she looked out her window, she saw three people carrying an officer to the grass.
“Hell, yes, I was absolutely terrified,’’ Pepper said. “It just startled me awake, and I had no idea what was going on.’’
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
This story was originally published June 11, 2018 at 9:37 AM with the headline "Standoff in Orlando: Four kids and gunman dead, cop hurt in shootout, officers say."