Report: Orlando cop fired 9 shots in club shooting

Maria Godinez caught in officer's crossfire at Vixen Bar

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando police officer who accidentally shot and killed a woman at a downtown Orlando club Monday morning fired his gun nine times while responding to a report of a gunman.

According to a report released on Wednesday, officers didn't see Kody Roach, the man witnesses say was armed at the Vixen bar on South Orange Avenue, carrying a gun. They say he was wearing a baggy shirt, which made it difficult to tell if there was anything hiding in his waistband.

Officers said Roach refused their commands to get down on the ground.

Officer Jeff Angel tried to deploy his Taser on Roach, but the Taser didn't work, according to the report. Officers said Roach then reached for his waistband and that's when Officer Eduardo Sanguino fired nine shots at Roach, hitting him several times and also hitting 22-year-old Maria Godinez, an innocent bystander.

Godinez later died at the hospital, leaving her family "heartbroken," her cousin told Local 6.

Lt. Frank Nunez was shot in the leg and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Orlando police said. He was treated, released and is recovering at home. It's not clear who fired the shot that hit Nunez.

The arrest report indicates the gun that was recovered from Roach -- a 40-caliber Ruger semi-automatic handgun -- had been reported stolen by a friend of his the day before the shooting.

That friend told Orange County sheriff's deputies he had been drinking with Roach that night and went to bed. When he awoke the next morning, his gun, ammunition and $30 was missing.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the agency investigating the police-involved shooting, said it's searching for witnesses who were near the Vixen Bar at the time of the shooting.  Anyone with information is urged to call 800-226-8521.

As standard procedure, the officers in the shooting, Sanguino and Angel, were put on paid administrative leave.

Roach is still hospitalized but has been booked into Orange County Jail on charges of possession of a firearm. He could face felony murder charges in the shooting, according to police.


About the Author:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.