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Covington family searching for answers after Orlando police shooting

359 views · Published 8 October 2018 · 2:26 · Indexed 23 September 2026

Channel: LOCAL 12 · 2018 · News & Politics

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COVINGTON, Ky. (WKRC) - A northern Kentucky family is demanding answers after an Orlando police shooting killed their loved one. 

Brian Baker, a Covington native, was shot and killed this week in an emergency room. Police say he made threats, but his family says he was having a delusional episode.

“He should still be here,” said Joshua Baker, Brian's brother. “No matter how you look at it, no matter what verbal threats he made, he did nothing to be shot."

Brian went to the Orlando Regional Medical Center with chest pains during a layover on a bus trip from Florida to Covington.

Orlando's police chief says Brian started making threats toward police, claiming to have a gun before the emergency room was put on lockdown.

"He made movements consistent with pulling, reaching for a firearm, and he was shot and killed by three officers here,” said Chief John Mina.

But the investigation now shows Brian was unarmed.

Joshua wants to know why the situation escalated so quickly. While he admits his brother was not perfect, battling drug addiction and mental health issues, Joshua believes non-lethal force should have been the first choice.

"In this situation, not one taser was deployed, not one bean bag was shot, not one rubber bullet was shot. No non-lethal weapons was used to try and subdue my brother. It was straight deadly force,” said Baker.

Police contend they did try and talk to Brian using crisis negotiators.

“I think that if the patients nearby hadn't needed care from the hospital right away, we would have tried to talk to him longer,” said Chief Mina.

Joshua wishes police did try to talk to Brian a little bit longer, but instead, he's left searching for closure.

"How is direct deadly force the first option you go to on a man that's delusional, that is a patient in the hospital, that's done been searched for weapons. How?" questions Joshua.

The three officers who opened fire are on paid administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates.

The Baker Family is using a GoFundMe account to raise money for funeral costs.

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