Car hits funeral procession for Orlando massacre victim
Demonstrators show support and solidarity near the funeral service for Christopher Andrew Leinonen, one of the victims of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting, outside the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Saturday, June 18, 2016, in Orlando, Florida. AP
WASHINGTON, United States — A Florida driver hit two police officers Saturday as she tried to cut through a funeral procession for a victim of the mass shooting in Orlando, police said.
The two Osceola County Sheriff’s deputies were on motorcycles escorting the funeral procession south of Orlando when they were hit at 11:30 am (1530 GMT), Florida Highway Patrol Public Affairs Officer Sergeant Kim Montes said.
“We think it was impatience,” she said. “It wasn’t intentional.
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“We see this happening with funeral processions and this was an especially long one,” she added.
Both deputies are in the hospital in stable condition, according to Montes. Police have not identified the driver or the deputies.
Police were questioning the driver before determining possible charges against her.
It was not immediately clear whose funeral procession was taking place during the accident.
Last week’s massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando was the deadliest mass shooting in US history. Funerals are taking place over the weekend.
