The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office has identified the suspected gunman in a fatal shooting that claimed the life of a bicyclist on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, the fatal shooting occurred at around 2:40 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12, near the intersection of Fortune Road and Bill Beck Boulevard.
OCSO deputies responded to the Ponderosa RV Park entrance located in the 1900 block of Fortune Road. When they arrived on scene, a witness was rendering aid to the male victim who had sustained a gunshot wound.
The deputies conducted lifesaving efforts until paramedics arrived. The victim was then transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Sheriff Lopez stated that a witness provided a detailed description of a motorcyclist who had allegedly shot the victim before fleeing the area. The motorcycle in question was soon located by deputies at a nearby dollar store, and the suspected shooter, identified as 54-year-old Kevin Walter Duda, was taken into custody.
A female passenger was also on the motorcycle at the time of the shooting, though the sheriff’s office did not state whether she was also in custody.
The witness told investigators that the victim was riding his bicycle near the Ponderosa RV Park entrance when Duda approached him. Moments later, Duda allegedly shot the victim.
An investigation into the incident revealed that Duda and the victim knew each other, and the shooting was an “isolated event,” according to OCSO.
Duda is currently being held without bond at the Osceola County Jail under an unrelated warrant.
“Further investigation, charges, and notification of the next of kin are pending,” stated OCSO in a social media post on Thursday evening.
No further details were provided by the sheriff’s office.