Spend enough time in the Orlando area and you'll learn that a theme park vacation is about more than the parks. Once the fireworks end, plenty of visitors head out looking for dinner, drinks, shopping, or a few more rides before calling it a night.
In Kissimmee, Old Town has long filled that role. The entertainment district, which WESH 2 News describes as an Osceola County shopping and entertainment staple near Interstate 4, offers restaurants, bars, and amusement rides that draw tourists from nearby resorts, including many visiting Walt Disney World. Fun Spot America sits right alongside it, adding even more attractions.
On Saturday night, that lively atmosphere was shattered. A woman was shot and killed by an off-duty Osceola County deputy at Sun on the Beach, a restaurant and bar in Old Town, according to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.
How the Night Unfolded
According to the sheriff's office, the incident began around 10:37 p.m. Saturday, November 14, with a disturbance between a woman and a man at Sun on the Beach.
Sheriff Chris Blackmon said the woman pulled a pistol and held it against the man's back. The two walked out the front of the restaurant and bar into a common area, then turned around and headed back in, with the gun still at his back.
Deputies working nearby saw what was happening and repeatedly ordered the woman to drop the gun, Blackmon said. Instead, he said, she raised the pistol toward the man, and a deputy fired a single round.
The woman was struck and later pronounced dead at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital, according to Positively Osceola. The sheriff said no one else was hurt.
“We Had No Choice”
At a news conference early Sunday, Blackmon walked reporters through what deputies saw, according to WESH 2 News.
“It's sad. She pulled a pistol, walked outside with it, came back in, had it behind her back, to her side, brought it up on the guy, and when she did that, our deputy shot her,” he said.
The sheriff stressed that the outcome could have been different. “If she listened to our commands… we would not have fired our weapon. We had no choice,” Blackmon said.
Sheriff's office spokesperson Kim Montes offered a similar explanation, saying the deputy fired because the woman did not drop the gun and there was a fear of imminent great bodily harm to the man or other people in the bar, as reported by Around Osceola.
Dancing One Moment, Running the Next
For at least one visitor, the night turned in an instant. Alice Alicea told WESH 2's Adriana Doria that she had been dancing with the woman just minutes before the shooting.
“So, we were dancing and having a nice time, and all of a sudden, I sit, and four minutes later, I heard the shooting. So I'm thinking that it's a massive shooting, so I just ran to the back and I exited the place through the back door,” Alicea said.
When she didn't hear any more shots, she went to see what had happened and learned the woman she'd been dancing with had been shot. “So it really affected me, like, I was in shock,” she said.
What Happens Now
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement responded to the scene and is investigating the shooting.
The deputy who fired was not on patrol Saturday night. He was working an off-duty security detail, Blackmon said, as one of four Osceola County deputies who work off-duty in the area. Two of them work at Fun Spot, and the other two work for Old Town. The sheriff said the deputy has been with the agency for almost seven years.
He has been placed on paid administrative leave, which Blackmon described as protocol.
Body-worn camera video from the deputies at the scene is available, and a sheriff's office spokesperson told WESH 2 News it is expected to be released sometime later this week.
The woman who died has not been publicly identified. The sheriff said her next of kin had not yet been notified. Officials also haven't shared what sparked the disturbance between her and the man.
Thinking of Everyone Affected
Old Town is meant to be a place for fun, whether that's a late dinner, a spin on a ride, or a night of dancing. Saturday's events are a heartbreaking contrast to that, and our thoughts go out to the woman's family and to everyone who was there.
We'll continue following this story and will share updates once the body camera footage is released and more details come out of the FDLE investigation.
If you visit Old Town regularly or were in the area Saturday night, you're welcome to share your thoughts in the comments. We ask that everyone keep the discussion kind and respectful, especially with a family grieving and many questions still unanswered.
