A deputy-involved shooting occurred late Saturday in Old Town, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office confirmed, sending local news crews racing to the scene as details remained scarce. The shopping and entertainment strip near Interstate 4 draws crowds night and day, and the confirmation of gunfire involving a deputy there is already rattling a community accustomed to seeing the area as a lively tourist draw rather than a crime scene.
The sheriff's office confirmed the shooting to WESH 2 News, which described Old Town as an Osceola County shopping and entertainment staple near Interstate 4. The station said it was still working to learn more about what happened and had a crew headed to the scene, characterizing its report as developing and promising updates as more information comes in.
WFTV also reported the shooting, citing Osceola County deputies, and said it too had a crew on the way to the scene. The station reported that a video sent to its newsroom showed a person being brought out on a stretcher, though it's not clear from that footage who the person was, what their condition was, or how they were connected to the shooting.
What Remains Unknown
Neither station has yet detailed what led up to the shooting, who was involved beyond the deputy, or whether anyone was injured as a result. No information has been released identifying the deputy, describing a suspect, or confirming an arrest, and no official investigative account has been made public as of Saturday night.
A Decade-Old Echo in the Same Area
Old Town has seen a deputy shot before. On November 6, 2016, an Osceola County sheriff's deputy was shot outside a bar in the area, according to ClickOrlando. That deputy, identified as John Rios, was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was later released, the outlet reported. Deputies did not fire their weapons in that 2016 incident, per the same report — nothing in the available reporting ties that earlier case to Saturday's shooting beyond the shared location.
For now, both television stations are treating Saturday's shooting as an unfolding story, with crews on scene and more information expected as the sheriff's office releases it. This article will be updated as additional details become available.
