Florida Highway Patrol awaits toxicology, autopsy on woman driver
The crash occurred at about 11 p.m. EDT Saturday when the 26-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, made a U-turn on Interstate 95 and began driving south in the northbound lanes, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Her vehicle subsequently collided head-on with the sheriff’s office SUV that Morris was driving north, in response to the earlier shooting. Both Morris and the woman were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Florida Highway Patrol is leading the investigation. Lt. Channing Taylor, a district commander with the agency, told reporters that vehicles will be examined and witnesses interviewed as part of the inquiry. A toxicology examination will be conducted on the woman driver, he said.
“We don’t know what that is right now. But I can tell you right now, if it’s an impaired driver, there’s completely no reason for that. It’s 100% preventable. Impaired driving, there’s no excuse for it,” Taylor said. “If it’s a medical event, we’ll find out. The medical examiner will do the autopsy and give us those answers.”
At Sunday’s press conference, Ivey identified Morris and described his path back into law enforcement. “He was a man of faith and got strongly into sharing his faith and working in the church and then in 2021, his daughter went into law enforcement academy and re-energized him to decide he wanted to get back into the field because he was so passionate about law enforcement,” the sheriff said.
“Our agency, our community, the family of Kevin are absolutely devastated,” Ivey said. “Kevin was probably one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet in your life.” He added: “Kevin — man, there are so many things you could say about Kevin. If you were going to, you would start with: he was just absolutely an amazing guy.”
The shooting Morris had been responding to occurred at about 7:55 p.m. Saturday in Mims, a community along the eastern coast of the Florida peninsula about 45 miles east of Orlando, according to a Brevard County Sheriff’s Office statement. Deputies responded to a request from a man who said his 79-year-old father was suicidal, the statement said. Deputies arrived and determined the senior met the criteria for involuntary examination, and medical transport was requested. When the transport vehicle arrived, the subject allegedly retrieved a firearm concealed beneath his body and pointed it toward the deputies, who opened fire, “neutralizing the threat,” according to the statement. The wounded man died of his injuries at a local medical facility.
The deputy-involved shooting is being investigated by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, with findings to be forwarded to the Brevard/Seminole State Attorney’s Office for an independent review, the sheriff’s office said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was among agencies that shared condolences online. “Agent Morris served and protected his community with unwavering commitment, honor and bravery,” the agency said in a statement. “This tragedy is a reminder of the danger law enforcement officer’s face each and every day while honorably wearing the badge.”
Ivey said the woman who died in the crash had been at a beachside wedding earlier in the day. The U-turn was made for reasons unknown, authorities said.