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Orlando man shoots officer and barricades himself with 4 children, police chief says

Posted at 6:33 PM, Jun 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-11 18:33:40-04

A man who shot an Orlando police officer late Sunday night remained barricaded in an apartment with four children Monday afternoon, police said.

Officers responded to a domestic violence call from the girlfriend of Gary Lindsey Jr. around 11:45 p.m. Sunday, Chief John Mina said. Lindsey shot at officers when they arrived, hitting one, Mina said. Officers shot back, but Mina said he did not know whether Lindsey was hit.

Officer Kevin Valencia, who has been with the Orlando Police Department since 2016, was in critical condition after surgery, Mina said.

Lindsey, 35, and the children were still barricaded in the home Monday afternoon, Mina said. Police said Lindsey’s girlfriend made the initial call after she had left the house.

“We’ve talked to him several times throughout the night and the morning,” Mina said. “My main concern is the safety and the well-being of the children inside there.”

Mina said he did not have information on the welfare of the four children, who are 1, 6, 10 and 11 years old. Mina said two children are thought to be Lindsey’s and two are his girlfriend’s.

“We believe they’re still alive at this time,” he said. “We just implore him to release those children to us unharmed.”

Mina said Lindsey has been arrested for arson and domestic violence battery before. Criminal records show Lindsey has been arrested four times for violating his probation, CNN affiliate WKMG-TV reported.