A suspect has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a man on Christmas morning at a Hookah Lounge café in Kissimmee.
Sheriff Marcos Lopez made the announcement of the arrest of 26-year-old Gabriel Alberto Correa during a news conference on Thursday.
According to Sheriff Lopez, Osceola deputies responded to the Café Lungo on Vineland Road in Kissimmee, and found one man who appeared to have been shot and had succumbed to his wounds in the parking lot. The death was later ruled a homicide.
Lopez said the suspect was at the bar on Christmas morning and was arguing with one of the staff members. Around 4:46 a.m., Lopez said Correa began firing a gun at the front of the cafe’ and then left. According to the sheriff, no one at the cafe’ reported the shooting to law enforcement.
The sheriff said Correa returned just moments after the initial shooting and fired a gun at a patron from the bar who was standing at his car door in the parking lot. The man who was shot was led into the cafe’ where he collapsed and died. A few minutes later Correa was seen leaving the area.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office released a photograph of a person of interest in the days following the shooting. Based on a combination of witness testimonies, further surveillance footage, and additional evidence that supported that the suspect was Gabriel Alberto Correa.
“My homicide detectives did a fantastic job tracking down and locating the suspect. They were determined and dedicated to solving this case and providing a rapid resolution to the community. I want to thank my deputies, the Violent Crime Unit, Tactical Unit, Narcotics Enforcement Team, Tourist Policing Unit, Osceola Narcotics Investigation Bureau, and the State Attorney’s Office for working together to solve this case,” said Sheriff Marcos Lopez.
Correa was apprehended in Polk County and interviewed by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. During the interview, he confessed to his involvement in the shooting.
With the assistance of the Polk County Sheriff Office and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Gabriel Alberto Correa has been charged with murder with a firearm, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, discharging a firearm in public, and improper exhibition of a firearm.
Lopez said that the victim was not a staff member at the hookah lounge.
