Deputies shoot, kill drug-trafficking suspect in Orange County neighborhood, sheriff says

Residents asked to avoid Jepson Street, Park Manor Drive

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Three Orange County Sheriffs Office deputies shot and killed a drug-trafficking suspect Friday morning inside his home while attempting to serve a search warrant, Sheriff John Mina said.

The sheriff said deputies with the SWAT team were serving a search warrant at the home on Jepson Street at 8:46 a.m. when 41-year-old Luis Morales-Camacho resisted their efforts "in some way" and he was fatally shot.

"He resisted and made some kind of movement," Mina said, adding its unclear if the suspect was armed.

Mina said the search warrant was the result of a month-long investigation into Morales-Camacho, who is suspected of being the leader of a heroin and cocaine trafficking ring.

Before the shooting, deputies made multiple attempts to notify the suspect and others inside the home, saying "This is the Orange County Sheriff's Office, open the door" over a loudspeaker, Mina said.

Morales-Camacho was shot inside the home after three deputies fired their weapons, the sheriff said.

According to a news release, the deputies rendered first-aid and he was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

No one other than the suspect was injured during the shooting. A woman and child were home at the time but were not injured.

Mina said deputies are certain Morales-Camacho was their suspect. Had he survived, he would have faced drug trafficking and racketeering charges, according to the sheriff.

Morales-Camacho has six previous felony convictions for drug and weapons charges, Mina said.

Deputies seized $26,000 from the suspect's bank account, along with weapons from a storage unit before attempting to execute the search warrant, Mina said.

People were asked to avoid the area near Jepson Street and Park Manor Drive while the investigation was underway.

Crime scene investigators are attempting to clear the home, however, Mina said they need to be careful because there are still drugs, possibly fentanyl, in the home.

Sky 6 video of the scene showed multiple patrol cars, a crime scene van and two armored vehicles at a home on Jepson Street.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting which is standard procedure when a deputy fires their weapon.

The deputies involved will be placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

The Sheriff's Office executes hundreds of search warrants a year without incident, Mina said.

"Everything seems to be in order. I have no concerns at this point," Mina said when asked if he thought the deputies were right to use fatal force.

Check back for updates on this developing story.


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