ORLANDO, Fla. – A retired Orlando police officer who was shot and killed on New Year’s Day was shot by his father-in-law, according to an affidavit.
Dennis Turner, 64, was found shot at a home on Kozart Street and taken to a hospital, where he later died, the Orlando Police Department said.
According to an affidavit for an arrest warrant, officers spoke with a witness who said Turner and the suspect, 58-year-old Jeffery London, were having a conversation outside of the home. The witness told officers that Turner had started to walk away from London when the suspect pulled out a gun and shot Turner in the back, the affidavit shows.
The witness then told police that Turner fell to the ground and rolled over to crawl away before London fired several more times while standing over Turner, according to the affidavit.
Police then spoke with Turner’s wife, who is also the daughter of the suspect, who said that she has not spoken to London in several months “due to past family issues,” the affidavit reads. She told police Turner and London had an argument in July 2025 and hadn’t spoken since then.
London fled the area after the shooting but was later found in Highlands County. He was arrested and faces charges of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Turner was a 23-year veteran of the Orlando Police Department and retired in 2018.
In 2019, after Turner returned to the department as a reserve officer, he was involved in the high-profile arrests of two elementary school students.
[WATCH BELOW: News 6 explores background of retired Orlando police officer who was shot, killed]
According to the agency, Turner took a 6-year-old girl and 8-year-old boy into custody during separate incidents.
Turner was later fired from his reserve-officer position after the chief determined he violated an agency policy requiring officers to seek supervisor approval before arresting juveniles under the age of 12.
The family of the 6-year-old sued Turner and the Orlando Police Department alleging excessive force, false arrest, and malicious prosecution.
Last year, a federal judge dismissed most of the family’s claims but allowed their lawsuit against Turner to proceed.
The case was stayed in November as Turner sought an appeal of the judge’s ruling, court records show.