Several officers from the Orlando Police Department sprang into action in downtown Orlando Thursday night to tackle a suspect after gunshots were fired into a large crowd at two locations, leaving two people dead and six others wounded. One of those officers deemed a ‘hero’ for responding quickly and stopping the shooting spree was Michael Hernandez, known for his other job as a criterium specialist and captain of the REIGN Storm Racing team.
A 17-year-old suspect, identified by Orlando Police Jaylen Dwayne Edgar, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and six counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, Orlando Police announced at a press conference on Friday.
There were two separate locations on North Orange Avenue in the central Florida city, at Central Boulevard and just one block north, where shots were fired into crowds gathered for festivities related to Halloween.
Security video and police body camera footage was made public on Friday, showing the moment that one police officer threw the suspect to the pavement, with other officers assisting to apprehend the suspect moments after gunshots were fired a second time.
Valentina Hernandez, Michael’s wife, confirmed to Cycling News that her husband was the first police officer to intercept the suspect, slamming him to the ground. Hernandez has been called a ‘hero’ for his swift action.
There were about 100 officers, including Hernandez, working in the area, according to Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith.
Hernandez took part in a reduced calendar of bike races this summer with REIGN Storm racing, ending his season at Tulsa Tough. He is a former US amateur criterium champion. Hernandez graduated from the police academy in the winter and began work as a police officer for the City of Orlando in the spring.
Two of the six surviving victims were admitted to Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical condition but are now listed as stable, hospital spokesperson Marlei Martinez told CNN Friday morning.
“Get on the ground. Get on the ground, right now,” was the audio heard on a body camera of a police officer when the suspect was apprehended, shown in the video posted to social accounts for the Orlando Police Department. The voice was recognized by Thomas Craven, team manager for REIGN Storm Racing, when he watched on Instagram, and he communicated with Valentina Hernandez to confirm it was indeed Michael.
“Michael is a freaking hero,” Craven told Cycling News. “I worry about him all the time, so follow the Orlando Police social media. He was at the [police] academy all last year and raced. This year he tried, but it was too much.”
