An Orlando officer who spent years in a coma after he was shot in the head during a domestic violence call in 2018 has died.
Orlando Police Department Chief Orlando Rolon announced on social media that Officer Kevin Valencia died Monday, asking for thoughts and prayers for his wife, Meghan, and his children.
“To his squad mates, all the members of OPD, & those with whom he worked throughout his law enforcement career in Orlando & South Florida, we stand together to honor the hero, husband, father, son, brother, and friend who selflessly gave his life to protect the city he served,” the department said in a statement on Twitter.
To his squad mates, all the members of OPD, & those with whom he worked throughout his law enforcement career in Orlando & South Florida, we stand together to honor the hero, husband, father, son, brother, and friend who selflessly gave his life to protect the city he served. pic.twitter.com/222WXkCcWE
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) March 15, 2021
Rolon wrote that Valencia was shot and “critically injured” during a response to a domestic violence call on June 11, 2018, when a man, identified by police as Gary Lindsey Jr., took his own life after killing four children and shooting Valencia in the head.
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Valencia remained in a coma for nearly three years until he died this week. Rolon wrote that the officer had been “fighting for his life with his family by his side.”
The officer was retired from the Orlando Police Department on Oct. 20, 2020, and awarded the Purple Heart medal for his heroic efforts during his response to the domestic violence call.
Following the shooting, officers within Valencia’s department escorted his son Kaleb to school on his first day of kindergarten.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer honored the late officer in a Twitter post, saying, “Today our entire city mourns the passing of … Officer Kevin Valencia.”
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Rolon underscored in his letter that Valencia’s family “will always be family to the Orlando Police Department,” adding that they will ensure “our community never forgets the ultimate sacrifice Meghan’s husband and Kaleb & Kolton’s father made for his community.”
