Murder charges dropped against women in van with man killed during police shooting

Suspects still face grand theft charges

ORLANDO, Fla. – Felony murder charges have been dropped against two women who were in a van with a man who was killed during an Orlando police-involved shooting at Colonial Plaza earlier this month, court officials said.

Jocelyn Villot, 32, and Brittany Chandler, 26, were arrested May 7 on multiple charges. Authorities said a loss prevention officer at a Marshall's store in the shopping center saw the women take items and leave without paying for them.

The loss prevention officer notified Orlando Police Department officers, who confronted Villot and Chandler at a van in the parking lot, according to an arrest report.

Police said 32-year-old Juan Alberto Silva was in the driver's seat of the gold van. Officers opened fire when he stepped on the gas while they were surrounding the vehicle, authorities said.

Villot and Chandler were charged with felony murder -- a charge applied when someone is killed during the commission of a felony -- in connection with Silva's death but that charge was dropped on Thursday.

The investigation into the police-involved shooting is ongoing.

On Wednesday, a News 6 investigation detailed how Master Police Officer Anthony Wongshue’s body camera battery died before the shooting.

Cellphone video of the shooting, obtained exclusively by News 6, showed two officers firing their weapons when the van lurched forward.


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