Deputies for the man who was shot dead in Orange County on February 8 called 911 and now a stolen burglar has been charged with murder, with someone breaking into his home.
Christian Duran Contrera, 25, turned herself on Thursday after investigators determined she had entered the West Castle Street home in Jose Luis Lopez.
Authorities argue that Duran Contrera is responsible for Lopez’s death as his actions created a situation in which officers shot Lopez.
In addition to the second degree of murder, Duran Contrera was charged with robbery and stolen petite.
The case report, filed in Orange County Court, provided the first official account of what happened that night. Acknowledging that Lopez is allegedly a victim of the crime rather than the perpetrator, the report raises doubts about whether he was armed when he faced representatives.
The two deputies who shot Lopez, whose names have not been released, were placed on paid administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated the shooting.
An eyewitness who knew the man told investigators he was the roofer they worked with. That night, they were drinking beer outside the house, according to the affidavit.
Lopez then entered the house, but the witnesses called for Uber Ride for Duran Contrera, which he refused. Instead, investigators said he supported a ladder under the kitchen window and entered the house.
The dispatcher received two 911 calls from Lopez to respond to the house and told him about the ladder. Two deputies on the scene heard screams for help and claimed that Lopez was threatening Duran Contrera with a knife and saw a man getting violent through the window. He fired when he failed to comply with an order to drop it, according to a news release issued by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office shortly after the shooting.
However, Duran Contrera told investigator Lopez that he “didn’t have a knife,” but he tried to communicate with them but did not speak English, the report said. Neither the affidavit nor the agency news release on the shooting explains the knife he is recovering at the scene. The agency spokesman did not immediately return a message asking for an explanation.
After the shooting, Lopez was taken to the hospital, where he died.
OCSO has yet to release a Body Warn camera video, capturing the moment he killed Lopez. The agency’s policy requires that the secondary shooting video be released within 30 days, and will expire in early March.
Following the FDLE investigation, the case will be sent to the Orange Osceola State Attorney’s Office for review. From there, the sheriff’s office will conduct an internal investigation.
