ORLANDO, Fla. — When two of his officers were shot Friday night in downtown Orlando, Police Chief Eric Smith says he was only about 100 yards away, attending the nightly briefing officers have at the substation.

What You Need To Know

  • Investigators say an individual with an extensive criminal history and three outstanding arrest warrants shot and injured two Orlando police officers in downtown Friday night 

  • Despite that incident, Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith says violent crime is steadily declining in the city, down about 10% from the year prior

  • He said shootings in particular are down 30%, compared to last year

He said his officers were out on patrol when they came across a vehicle wanted in connection with a homicide out of Miami. He said the man, 28-year-old Daton Viel, opened fire on the officers, carjacked an individual and fled the scene.

The suspect was located early Saturday at a hotel near Universal Orlando and died in a shootout with members of the Orlando SWAT team.

On Monday, doctors said they expect the two injured Orlando officers to recover.

All of this unfolded as Smith marks one year at a job where downtown safety and gun violence remain top priorities.

Smith said cases like the one Friday night keep his mind preoccupied.

“Are my officers safe? Is the phone going to ring and one of my officers has been killed or hurt?" he said. "That’s the one thing that always keeps me up at night."

Smith said that despite Friday's shooting, crime has actually decreased in downtown Orlando.

He said violent crime is steadily declining — down 10% from the year prior — and shootings are down 30%.

Smith said his department's homicide clearance rate is 84%, with 36 of 43 cases solved this year. Along with that, he said there has also been a 36% increase in gun seizures from criminals.

“In my first year, we’ve seized 1,306 crime guns off the street — those are guns that are being used for criminal activity,” he said. “That’s major, and the officers hard work is what did that.”

Smith said his priorities since the beginning have been to reduce violent crime, increase ties with the community and solve cases, and he says his investigators have received the time and support to do that.

“Our homicide solve rate, which was at a low of 23% when I came in is, now at 84%," he said. "And of course that changes daily, but that’s a huge change, so we want to bring closure to those families."

A year after the July 31 shooting that injured multiple people in the Wall Street Plaza Entertainment Area, Smith said that while some costs to hire off-duty officers are passed to business owners, changes in the area have efficiently prevented shootings.

“We’re not seeing those anymore, and now — knock on wood — that can happen tomorrow, but we’ve seen a big change where we were having shootings pretty much weekly downtown," he said. "Now we’re not having that, so downtown is substantially safer."

While Smith said there’s been an increased focus on making the area safer following the July 31 shooting, Orlando Hospitality Vice President Alliance Monica McCown says the two safety ordinances passed by the city back in March have been a burden for a lot of businesses.

The ordinances include a six-month ban on new nightclubs, requiring business owners to get a late-night alcohol sales permit, and having some businesses pay for safety equipment and additional officers.

“It’s such a huge burden, hundreds of thousands of dollars a year," McCown said. "For some of these businesses, (it is) such a huge burden that it really does create a potential for these businesses to go out of business simply off this one bill.”

While the city has helped with grants to pay for that, McCown said the real burden is the cost of the extra off-duty police officers placed on the shoulders of a few businesses splitting the bill.

She said the city should focus on increasing safety in parking lots by adding more lighting.

City officials said they continue to implement several initiatives to further safety in downtown, including having more law enforcement presence and launching the “SAFE” Program. Through this initiative representatives with the Community Redevelopment Agency say the group has processed $284,914 in grant funds to help businesses increase safety measures — including the purchase of metal detectors, ID scanners, wands and security cameras.

City officials say they will continue to focus on enhancing lighting throughout the downtown core, while also requiring the securing of private parking lots and adjusting the noise ordinance.

After Friday's shooting, Smith said hundreds of officers and deputies have visited the two recovering officers at Orlando Health Regional Medical Center.

He said the outpouring of love and support for the officers has been encouraging.

Smith said the investigation into Friday's shooting is ongoing and arrests could be coming.