A late-night moment with a loaded handgun turned deadly on a Kissimmee street, leaving a 21-year-old man dead and his friend facing a manslaughter charge, according to Osceola County deputies.
Deputies say they found Orlando Jose Canizales with a gunshot wound on Chatham Circle on Wednesday night. He was rushed to a hospital, where he later died. Investigators arrested 22-year-old Carlos Moises Garcia, identified as Canizales' friend, and charged him with manslaughter with a firearm. Garcia is being held at the Osceola County Jail.
Deputies' account
The Osceola County Sheriff's Office says its investigation shows Canizales was shot when Garcia mishandled a loaded gun, causing it to fire. Garcia was then booked into the county jail on a manslaughter-with-a-firearm charge, according to reporting from WESH.
What the charge means
Under Florida law, manslaughter generally describes a killing caused by the act or culpable negligence of another person and is usually prosecuted as a second-degree felony. That statute, and the penalties it carries, will guide how prosecutors move forward once investigators complete their review. The relevant language is outlined in Florida Statutes 7782.07.
Broader context
Federal data show that unintentional firearm deaths, while a relatively small share of overall gun fatalities, often involve handguns and frequently happen in homes. Public-health officials point to those patterns when they push for safe storage practices and basic firearms training. The National Violent Death Reporting System tracks incident details that investigators use to understand how accidental shootings unfold, according to the CDC NVDRS / MMWR.
Garcia remains in custody, and his arrest and booking do not establish guilt. Prosecutors will decide whether to file formal charges, and the sheriff's office may release additional details as the investigation continues. This story will be updated if officials announce new information.
