Local activist Miles Mulrain Jr. speaking to media before an August 22nd protest in front of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at 2500 W. Colonial Drive. Video credit The Daily City
Orange County Sheriff John Mina has asked local activist Miles Mulrain Jr (Facebook) to meet with him about the shooting of a local Black man named Salaythis Melvin according to a recent post by Mulrain. Also present at the meeting will be select family members of Melvin.
Mulrain shared that getting the meeting took the efforts of “two elected officials, a State Senator and Representative.”
The date and location of the meeting have not been made public. The purpose of the meeting is “to see what justice we can get for Salaythis,” Mulrain says.
Salaythis Melvin was shot in the back while running away from Deputy James Montiel and other deputies behind Florida Mall August 7th. He died the next day. Deputies report he was carrying a concealed gun. Body cam video of the shooting was shared by OCSO after requests were made, but the clips only included footage from the other deputies present, not from the the deputy who actually shot Melvin. OCSO says the deputy was not in possession of a body cam. The case is under investigation by Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Mulrain has led and been involved in several protests in front of Florida Mall and in front of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office since the shooting. Mulrain says the protests are what is bringing the issue of the shooting to light. “This only means that the public protests and interest have worked," he says.
The most recent protest was Monday in front of the Orange County Sheriff's Office at 2500 W. Colonial Drive. The next one is Wednesday August 26 at 5:30pm at 8096 S. OrangeB Blossom Trail, Orlando (MAP) in front of a shopping center across from Florida Mall.
He is calling for more protests to bolster the effect.
The text from John Mina to Miles Mulrain Jr that Mulrain shared on his facebook account. Courtesy Miles Mulrain Jr