Six officers from the Orlando Police Department have been cleared of wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of Daton Viel, a suspect linked to the shooting of two other officers. A grand jury reached the decision after reviewing evidence pertaining to the events of August 2023, when officers, executing a warrant for Viel's arrest at a Holiday Inn room, encountered him armed and subsequently shot him after he reportedly left the room with a gun. The State Attorney's Office confirmed that "no true bill" was returned by the grand jury on Monday, effectively ending the case and absolving the officers of any criminal charges, as reported by ClickOrlando.
Daton Viel, who was 28 at the time of the shooting, had a criminal history including sexual assault, battery, and drug-related offenses, the incident that led to his death unfolded after Viel allegedly shot at officers during a traffic stop connected to an investigation of a Miami homicide, and in a subsequent standoff at an Orlando hotel where the negotiation efforts failed, and Viel fired at officers before being killed. "It bothers me," Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith expressed, as revealed in documents reported by FOX 35 Orlando during the investigation, reflecting the frustrations over the circumstances that enabled Viel to be out on bond at the time of the shooting despite a history of violating parole.
The case had previously garnered significant public attention due to the involvement of State Attorney Monique Worrell, who was suspended by Governor Ron DeSantis for perceived incompetence in this and other cases. Viel was being monitored by the Florida Department of Corrections for crimes committed in Georgia, yet his probation was not revoked after his arrest in March 2023 on sexual battery charges. "The only individual who can be blamed for incidents like these is the individual who took those actions," Worrell defended in a press conference, as detailed by ClickOrlando, emphasizing responsibility lies with the suspect.
Furthermore, the scrutiny of Viel's activities before the fatal encounter showed that he had removed his electronic monitoring device and absconded from his aunt's house without informing his probation officer, indicating a lapse in the oversight mechanisms that were supposed to keep track of him. Viel's ability to evade stricter legal constraints despite clear indicators of non-compliance with his parole conditions, such as when after being pulled over behind the University of Central Florida's main campus he fled from officers and escaped in his vehicle, as described in bodycam footage seen by FOX 35 Orlando.
