ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A 22-year-old woman shot at a resort in Orange County’s tourist district is speaking out about the moment that changed her life the week before Christmas.
Lee-Anne, who asked News 6 to only use her first name, spoke out after she was released from the hospital. She says she came face-to-face with the suspect while manning the main gate at the Marriott Cypress Harbour Villas the night of Dec. 14.
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“He looked at me, laughed, smiled and then shot at the door about four or five times,” Lee-Anne said.
Deputies at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office say the woman was the second person shot that night. Sheriff’s officials say a 911 caller reported an active shooter at Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa about 10 minutes earlier, where witnesses said a gunman opened fire with an AR-15 before leaving in a black Lexus sedan.
Lee-Anne says she was the only person at the gate when she encountered the gunman a short time later. She says she heard several shots fired before the suspect shot her from his car.
“It was immediate shock,” Lee-Anne said. “I was just completely freaking out. I noticed I had no feeling in my arm. It felt like it was just dangling and I had no feeling in my hand.”
Lee-Anne says a guest at the resort was the first person to find her and get help.
“They said they can remember the only thing I said over and over again was, ‘Why me? Why did this happen to me?’” said Lee-Anne. “Unfortunately, there’s no answer to that. This person just decided that he wanted to do this and for his own happiness, and it’s the worst feeling when you close your eyes and see somebody smile and laugh at you and find happiness through suffering.”
Deputies arrested Jailen Houston, 19, after they say he crashed on I-4 near the Orange and Osceola County line. An arrest affidavit for Houston states he also fired shots at several buildings and vehicles, including a Mears van.
During a press conference following the shootings, Orange County Undersheriff Mark Canty said Houston confessed to the crimes.
“He was asked how he felt about the shootings, and he said he felt good, said it relieved some of the frustration he felt,” Canty said.
Canty said Houston told deputies he had traveled to Orlando days prior to enroll in a local university. The arrest affidavit states Houston said he was frustrated with Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa when he tried to check in earlier that evening.
Houston is being held at the Orange County Jail on a charge of attempted first degree murder. News 6 reached out to his attorney, who provided the following statement:
“Untreated mental illness and unfettered access to assault rifles is an epidemic in this country, creating tragedies that have lasting effects on both the victims and the young men accused of these crimes. I have no further comment at this time.”
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