Police identify man killed by officers after taking baby hostage

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Monday identified the man who was killed in an armed standoff with officers on Friday after he took his own baby hostage and shot the baby’s mother.

Deshaun Albert Dunmyer, 31, is the suspect, the agency said in a news release. The mother, whose identity has not yet been released, is still recovering in the hospital after being stabbed and shot by Dunmyer, the sheriff’s office said.

The ministry’s press release did not contain any further new information.

Officers responded to reports of a domestic altercation off North Hiawassee Road around 5 p.m. and found the mother, who was taken to the hospital. Officers tried to confront Dunmyer, but he barricaded himself inside the home on Colony Oaks Lane and used the child as a shield, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said at a news conference held just after midnight Saturday.

SWAT teams were called to the scene. Officers negotiated with Dunmyer for several hours, but he remained in the house. Mina said police became increasingly concerned about the child’s safety because Dunmyer was speaking and praying in the past tense. When SWAT officers saw him holding the gun and the baby, they broke down the front door and shot him.

At the conference, Mina said the child was safe. He did not specify the child’s age, but officials referred to him as “the baby.” The mother was undergoing surgery at the time.

Police are currently investigating what led to the first shooting and stabbing. Mina said it is not known how many shots were fired or if Dunmyer managed to get off any shots as SWAT officers entered the home.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the incident and forward the findings to the State Attorney’s Office for review. Once that process is complete, the Sheriff’s Office will conduct its own internal investigation.

The officers who fired their weapons are on temporary leave pending initial review by the FDLE. Body camera footage of the incident will be available within 30 days.