Michael David Dennis Obituary:
The suspect believed to be involved in an attempted murder was killed by Orlando officers during a traffic stop on Wednesday evening. Prior to this incident, the suspect, identified as Michael David Dennis, had fired shots at his ex-girlfriend, whom he had been stalking and harassing.
Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith stated that the officers recognized Dennis’s car, which had license plates linked to him, and knew that he was wanted for attempted murder and aggravated stalking.
When Dennis exited his vehicle during the traffic stop, he opened fire at the officers. Fortunately, no officers were injured during the exchange of gunfire, but Dennis was killed. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting an investigation into the incident, as is standard procedure for officer-involved shootings.
In relation to the Monday incident involving his ex-girlfriend, it was reported that Dennis had fired shots at her and others. She had an active order of protection against him, and deputies had issued a warrant for his arrest.
This was not the first time Dennis had come into conflict with his ex-girlfriend, as he had previously violated a protection order by forcing his way into her car and chasing her into her apartment.
However, the charges related to that incident were dropped by an assistant state attorney. The State Attorney’s Office has not provided a detailed explanation for this decision.