ORLANDO, Fla. — Authorities have identified the woman killed in an Orange County deputy-involved shooting this week as 59-year-old Rosalia Hodges.
The shooting happened Tuesday afternoon in the Dr. Phillips area after deputies responded to reports of a woman screaming outside a home on Tivoli Drive.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, a neighbor called 911 around 1 p.m. to report that a woman was causing a disturbance in the street near the 8200 block of Tivoli Drive.
By the time deputies arrived, the woman had returned inside the residence, Sheriff John Mina said during a news conference.
Deputies approached the home and knocked on the door. Investigators say Hodges then came outside holding a large knife.
Mina said deputies immediately began backing away toward the street while repeatedly ordering Hodges to drop the weapon.
Authorities allege that Hodges refused those commands and instead advanced toward the deputies.
“As our deputies retreated toward the street, they gave several commands to drop the knife,” Mina said. “The woman refused to drop the knife and shouted, ‘I’ll kill you.'”
Investigators say Hodges continued moving toward deputies, prompting three deputies to fire their service weapons.
Hodges was struck during the encounter.
Deputies provided emergency medical aid until paramedics arrived, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Hodges was transported to a local hospital, where she later died.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now conducting an independent investigation into the shooting, a standard procedure in officer- and deputy-involved shootings across Florida.
The three deputies involved have been placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation is underway.
Mina said he has reviewed body-worn camera footage from the incident and expects the video to be released publicly within 30 days.
“I have seen the body-worn camera footage, so we will release that within 30 days,” Mina said.
After FDLE completes its investigation, the agency will submit its findings to the State Attorney’s Office for review. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office will then conduct its own internal investigation.
Mina also said Hodges had previously been held under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows individuals experiencing a mental health crisis to be temporarily detained for evaluation. He said those prior incidents did not occur within Orange County.
As of Thursday, authorities had not released the names of the deputies involved.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.
Editor’s Note: The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting an independent review of the incident. The findings of that investigation will help determine whether the use of force was legally justified.
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