ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando Police Officer Kevin Valencia has passed away more than two years after he was critically injured during a domestic violence call that ended in a deadly standoff.
Officer Valencia was shot in the head by Gary Lindsey on June 11, 2018, at the Westbrook Apartment complex. Lindsey killed four children during the incident and then took his own life.
The incident began when Lindsey's girlfriend called the police to report a battery, then Police Chief John Mina said. Lindsey shot Officer Valencia as he approached the apartment, then barricaded himself inside with the four children.
"Officer Valencia risked his life for people he didn't even know -- a risk that many in the law enforcement profession take without question," Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolón said in a statement. "Since that tragic night, Officer Valencia has been fighting for his life with his family by his side."
It is with deep regret and heart ache that I inform you of the passing of Officer Kevin Valencia. I ask everyone to keep...
Posted by Orlando Police Department on Monday, March 15, 2021
Officer Valencia retired from the department on October 20, 2020, and was awarded a purple heart for his heroic efforts on June 11.
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The standoff between Lindsey and police lasted nearly 24 hours, beginning at 11:45 p.m. on a Sunday night and ending after 9 p.m. on Monday.
Police made entry into the apartment after an officer who was trying to give the suspect a cellphone with better reception for communication noticed that one of the children inside appeared to be dead. Mina said at the time police made the decision to try to save the other children.
When police got inside they found all four children dead. They were ages 1, 6, 10 and 11. Lindsey was the father of two of the children and the other two were his girlfriend's children.
