Four People Shot, Can't Or Won't Say What Happend

    Was there a shooting in the Umatilla area Friday, December 10? After an extensive investigation, Umatilla Police concluded that while there may have been a shooting, it didn’t happen in Umatilla.
    “It had nothing to do with Umatilla,” said department chief Adam Bolton, who described the department’s role in the situation.
    “Three or four dudes walked into the hospital with some wounds,” Bolton said, triggering an investigation. The subjects spoke limited English, making matters tougher, but it is believed they reported being at the Popeye’s restaurant on SR 19 in Eustis and then at a park, presumably a park in Umatilla, when they were allegedly injured.
    Bolton said the investigation included the victims saying they were eating together and heard shots and at least one person in the group fell to the ground with either BB, shotgun, or some other type of injury. And to add further confusion, at one point it is believed they said the incident could have been in Leesburg.
    For Bolton all that mattered was the Umatilla investigation.
    “We went to every possible location in the city where it could have happened,” he said, but could find no evidence of an incident, leaving the chief to conclude the shooting, however it happened, didn’t happen in Umatilla.
    “I’m almost 100% positive it didn’t happen in the city.”
    The Lake County Sheriff’s Office also attempted an investigation into the situation.
    “We have very little to go on and the victims did not desire prosecution,” said John Herrell with the sheriff’s office.
    The sheriff’s office was able to confirm that four people, Jacqueline Fernandez, Luis Ramirez, Jessica Otero, and Nicole Maldonado-Otero were all shot with what appeared to be buckshot.
    Deputies canvassed the area around AdventHealth Waterman, but due to a language barrier they were unable to obtain the exact location of the incident.
    The victims had wounds in the area of their arms, neck, head, back, and feet.