Victim's friend details deadly Orlando club shooting as bar reopens

Friend witnessed shooting, says 22-year-old Maria Godinez was shot in arm

COCOA, Fla. – The friend who was with the 22-year-old who was shot and killed at a downtown Orlando club Monday morning detailed how the gunfire began in an interview with Local 6 on Wednesday.

[PICS: Woman killed in club shooting ]

Officer Eduardo Sanguino fired nine shots at Kody Roach, the man witnesses say was armed at the Vixen bar on South Orange Avenue, hitting him several times and also hitting 22-year-old Maria Godinez, an innocent bystander.

Godinez later died at the hospital, leaving her family heartbroken, her cousin told Local 6.

Shila Miles said she hasn't slept since the shooting that took the life of her best friend. She said she remembered hearing banging on the front door to the bar, then heard gunfire.

"We were just sitting there, then next thing we knew we hear a lot of gunshots and then the next thing I know I heard my friend say 'he shot me' and she fell to the ground," Miles said. "I was freaking out. I didn't know what to think. I ran to the back. I had blood all over me. Blood on my arm, blood on my shoes, blood on purse, inside my boots. I was freaking out, I didn't really know what to think. I didn't want to believe what I really just saw."

Miles said Godinez was shot in the arm one time.

At first Miles thought the shot came from Roach's gun and said she remembers seeing him waving it around outside.

"And then I heard it was from police and that just doesn't make sense to me," she said. "You know, they're trained to do that and why are they going to shoot at a door when there's people inside? You know, you don't know where that's going to go and it just happened to hit my best friend."

Miles said she spent every day with Godinez in the last year, even working at the same restaurant.

"In that short amount of time we became so close, attached at the hip ... did everything together," Miles said. "She would always tell me, 'Shila, you're my soul mate.' She told me she would do anything for me. I miss her so much."

Lt. Frank Nunez was shot in the leg and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Orlando police said. He was treated, released and is recovering at home. It's not clear who fired the shot that hit Nunez.

As standard procedure, the officers in the shooting, Sanguino and Officer Jeff Angel, were put on paid administrative leave.

Roach is still hospitalized but has been booked into Orange County Jail on charges of possession of a firearm. He could face felony murder charges in the shooting, according to police.


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