Man murders retired US Army corporal in downtown Orlando

A man murdered a retired US Army sergeant in downtown Orlando, shooting the victim multiple times.

An Orange County jury found 29-year-old Shaun Marvin Engram Jr. guilty of second-degree murder (with a firearm) for fatally shooting a man in downtown Orlando in 2021.

In the early morning hours of May 2, 2021, Orlando Police Department officers worked the downtown Orlando corridor as bars closed and people filled the streets. Shortly before 2:30 a.m., officers stationed at the intersection of East Central Boulevard and North Orange Avenue heard gunshots.

They immediately responded to the sidewalk in front of 20 North Orange Avenue, where they found 34-year-old retired U.S. Army Corporal Joseph William Torres suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

Investigators obtained surveillance video from a nearby building that captured the entire altercation and shooting. The video showed the victim and his friend walking back to the victim’s car when Torres approached the defendant and a group of men blocking the sidewalk.

Torres attempted to walk through an opening in the group, but Engram extended his arm, blocking the victim from passing through. The victim punched the defendant in the face and tried to run away when the group began attacking him.

Immediately after being hit in the face, Engram pulled out a gun and fatally shot the victim three times.

OPD officers identified Engram in the video as the shooter and arrested him on May 5, 2021.

During a preliminary hearing, the defendant attempted to argue “Stand Your Ground,” but the court concluded, based on clear and convincing evidence, that the defendant was the aggressor and had no right to stand because the victim was on the run and there was no reasonable basis for using lethal force.

After the four-day trial in Central Florida, the jury found Engram guilty of second-degree murder (with a firearm), with the specific finding that the defendant had actually fired a weapon and caused the victim’s death.

Engram is scheduled to be sentenced on January 31, 2025.