Man shot by undercover Seminole agents faces drug charges, passenger arrested

Deputies say Adesho Francis was shot while agents tried to arrest him

LONGWOOD, Fla. – Authorities have identified the 29-year-old man who was shot by undercover agents at a Longwood gas station Thursday and said he will be charged with drug trafficking. Seminole County court records show a woman passenger who was also injured during the shooting was arrested on drug charges.

Adesho Francis was in a car with a woman passenger at the Chevron near State Road 434 and Champion Avenue just before 2 p.m. when undercover agents with the City-County Investigative Bureau said they saw a drug transaction taking place.

Officials with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office said the CCIB agents surrounded Francis' car and gave him multiple commands to put up his hands and get out of the vehicle. Agents said Francis refused all commands and while they tried to make an arrest agents fired multiple rounds, striking the suspect.

Francis was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. When he is released from the hospital, the Sheriff's Office said he will be booked into the Polk County Correctional Facility on charges of trafficking heroin and fentanyl.

The female passenger, identified through court records as Sherry Morgan, 53, also suffered minor injuries from the gunfire and was taken to South Seminole Hospital.

Seminole County court records show Morgan, of Altamonte Springs, is charged with selling heroin. 
 
Morgan acted as a "middleman" and met her supplier, Francis, at the gas station before the shooting happened, according to court documents.
 
After being released from the hospital she was arrested and booked into the Polk County Correctional Facility, records show.
 
Only News 6 was in court Friday afternoon when a judge set Morgan's bail at $20,000 during her first appearance.
 
"She's charged with the sale of heroin as part of the ongoing investigation of what she was detected and confronted on in the vehicle," the judge said. "Right now there's probable cause based on the entire situation and the sale of heroin, which did involve the other man in a joint operation."
 
If released, the judge said Morgan is not allowed to have any contact with Francis and she can't use any controlled substances.

Doctors said Francis is recovering at Orlando Regional Medical Center after surgery.

Francis' mother, Laverne Francis, said she rushed to the gas station when she heard heard what happened.

Laverne Francis said her son was unarmed and was complying with officers. She said the agents "shot him for no reason."

The Sheriff's Office did not say if Francis was armed and did not release the names of the agents involved.

The suspect's mother said law enforcement is not allowing her to speak with her son.

Laverne Francis said her son's wife has hired an attorney.

According to court documents, Morgan was arrested on similar charges during an undercover drug operation in Seminole County in 2015. Francis has also faced drug charges and aggravated assault charges out of Orange County. 

The agency released three 911 calls made after the shooting by people calling concerned after hearing gunshots. None of the callers were in the immediate area of the shooting or witnesses to the events.

"There's a lot of sirens and a lot of police and someone said they heard gunshots," a woman calling from Kid City USA said concerned about children on a field trip headed to Sweet Frog frozen yogurt.

[READ: Here's a look at the officer-involved shootings in Central Florida this year]

The Sheriff's Office said CCIB is a multi-agency task force with officers from all seven police departments and the Sheriff's Office in Seminole county. Their investigations focus on narcotics and organized crime.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting. All agents involved have been placed on administrative leave. The Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the drug trafficking that occurred prior to the shooting.

 


Recommended Videos