Police release video of Florida city commissioner shooting alleged shoplifter
The Lakeland Police Department on Monday released video of an Oct. 3 shooting involving a city commissioner.
City commissioner Michael Dunn co-owns Vet’s Surplus, Inc., an Army Navy surplus store in midtown Lakeland.
Shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 3, Lakeland police responded to a reported shooting at the store. Officers found 50-year-old Cristobal Lopez at the entrance to the store with multiple gunshot wounds. Lopez was declared dead at the scene.
According to the Lakeland Police Department, Lopez was shopping at the store with his father when Dunn witnessed Lopez take and conceal a hatchet. A confrontation ensued.
Newly released video of the incident shows Dunn grabbing Lopez’s shirt as he attempts to leave the store. Dunn then fires two shots at Lopez at close range. Lopez falls to the ground and Dunn stands over him, gun still pointed at the injured man.
An investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made.
“We have received multiple requests for comments, reports, surveillance videos and evidence regarding the shooting at the Vets Army Navy Surplus store,” said a Facebook post accompanying the video release. “Please understand this is an ongoing criminal investigation. We are working with the State Attorney’s Office and the Medical Examiners Office, two wonderfully reputable agencies, to ensure this investigation is done in the most transparent, professional way possible. Until the investigation is complete, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
“At this time, in the interest of transparency, although the criminal investigation continues to be active, we at the Lakeland Police Department have requested and received the approval of the State Attorney’s Office to release all the videos which show the shooting that occurred on October 3rd. Raw files of the videos have been submitted to the State Attorney’s Office and media. The clips shown here have been shortened for the sake of time, showing only when activity is occurring.”
The full video can be seen on Lakeland Police Department’s Facebook page.