ORLANDO, Fla. — UPDATE, 5:44 P.M.-
Orlando Police have deemed this incident a homicide, identifying the victim as 34-year-old Joseph Torres:
No further suspect information has been provided at the time of this report.
According to police, Torres attempted to walk through a group of people who were gathered near a building on Central Boulevard when the suspect blocked him and the two began fighting.
Police say that the suspect then shot Torres, inflicting fatal injuries.
If you have tips for Orlando Police regarding this shooting, you’re asked to get in contact with Crimeline.
ORIGINAL REPORT-
A deadly early-morning shooting prompted Orlando Police to close a busy section of Orange Avenue for hours on Sunday, marking their second investigation of downtown-area gun violence in just a few weeks.
It happened at around 2:30 A.M., according to police, leaving one man dead and closing-off a stretch of Orange Avenue between Washington and Pine Streets, including the major intersection of Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard.
Police say that the victim was pronounced dead at the scene, finding his body shortly after officers heard gunfire and ran toward the trouble.
New footage uploaded to Twitter by user @NRT59607608 -- a compilation of videos allegedly recorded in downtown Orlando during and immediately after the shooting -- appears to show the panicked reaction of the crowd:
CONTENT WARNING- GUNFIRE, FOUL LANGUAGE
No suspect information has been made available at the time of this report, and we’re told that OPD is currently working to notify the victim’s family.
About two weeks ago, on the morning of April 17, Orlando Police responded to shots fired just blocks away from where Sundays crime scene is.
Comparing these two shootings, both occurred among downtown-area bars after closing time; it’s worth noting that Orlando Police have not made any statements connecting the two shootings, nor have they discussed the circumstances in such a light.
This is a developing story.