ORLANDO, Fla. – A person of interest is wanted for questioning in connection with a homicide last month near the Florida Mall, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies on Thursday released video of a man who was at a convenience store near the crime scene.
Dale Eric Floren, 56, a construction worker, died after he was found shot and stabbed April 14 near a site that stored construction materials on the northeast corner of the mall's property, authorities said.
Floren was discovered around 10 p.m., shortly after the mall closed, deputies said.
"He goes to the perimeter of the mall where there's a road and there's a fenced, closed-in construction site. The killer confronted him at that construction site and murdered him," Orange County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Jane Watrel said.
Detectives said the man captured on surveillance video might have information about Floren's death.
"They believe he knows something about this.They are not willing to call him a suspect. They say he is a person of interest because they believe he may have information, so they want to rule him in or rule him out," Watrel said.
Watrel said the man's clothing might be a clue.
"Maybe somebody saw this guy on a very hot night and thought, 'Wow, this person is wearing a lot of clothes,'" she said. "I wanted to kind of point that out to you that it was a warm evening the night of April 14, yet this individual is dressed in all black, like you can see with the hooded sweatshirt."
News 6 spoke with Floren's nephew, Brandon about the recent news.
"It brings a lot of joy to me right now honestly just really hope someone is brought to justice and deserves some kind of punishment," said Brandon.
He says his uncle was a man who helped others.
"He was a real loving guy. If he only had a shirt on his back he would give you that. He always loved everyone and gave and didn't ask for something in return," said Brandon.
Anyone with information about the person of interest is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-8477. A $5,000 reward is being offered.
Florida Mall released a statement on Thursday.
"We maintain a strong relationship with the Orange County Sheriff's Office and are grateful that they were able to capture this footage. Security is our top priority and we are asking for the community's help in identifying the person of interest in the video. We urge the public to contact the Orange County Sheriff's Office if they have any information related to this situation. Public Information Officer Jane Watrel can be reached at 407-254-7343," said Brian Hanson, general manager of the Florida Mall.
Person of Interest in April 14, 2017 Murder InvestigationPlease share! The OCSO Homicide Squad is releasing this video of a person of interest in the April 14th homicide of Dale Eric Floren. Mr. Floren was a laborer who was working on a construction project. It happened shortly after 10 p.m. on the outskirts of the Florida Mall, after closing hours, near a site that stored construction materials on the northeast corner of the mall's property. Detectives believe the man captured on surveillance video is someone who may have information about the homicide. Detectives would like to identify him, and speak with him. The video is from a convenience store near the murder scene. Anyone with information is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-8477.
Posted by Orange County Sheriff's Office, Florida on Thursday, May 25, 2017
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