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Port Orange police release video after 71-year-old woman dies following station shooting

By 3 min read

A 71-year-old woman died after firing a handgun inside the Port Orange Police Department and being shot by officers outside the building, according to the department’s account and video it released Friday, Sept. 4. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting the independent investigation that follows an officer-involved shooting.

Port Orange Police officer-involved shooting video warning title card dated September 3, 2026
Title card from video released by the Port Orange Police Department. The linked footage contains gunfire and distressing images.

Police identified the woman as Linda Croteau. The incident began shortly after 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the police department’s public-safety complex on South Clyde Morris Boulevard. Early CFL Report updates described a rapidly developing scene, emergency crews staging away from the building and a later news briefing by Police Chief Manuel Marino. No police employee or member of the public was reported physically injured.

In its follow-up statement, Port Orange police said Croteau entered the lobby carrying a handgun, pointed it at employees and fired toward an evidence room where staff members were present. The department’s released surveillance footage shows a woman entering the lobby and a shot striking an interior door area. The video then follows the response inside and outside the building.

Police said Croteau exited toward a parking lot where civilians and responding officers were located while still holding the gun. In the video, officers repeatedly order her to drop the weapon before several officers fire. Officers stop after the gun falls, according to the agency’s account. The footage then appears to show Croteau reaching toward the weapon while officers continue issuing commands; officers fire again, move in and begin providing aid. She was taken to a hospital and died the following morning.

The video is important evidence, but the department’s narration is not the final investigative conclusion. FDLE will review the officers’ actions, physical evidence, recordings and witness accounts before submitting its findings through the normal process. Port Orange police said they did not anticipate providing further updates while that review proceeds. The names and duty status of the involved officers were not included in the public materials reviewed for this article.

One early CFL Report interview relayed a witness’s claim that the woman had already dropped the gun and was unarmed when officers fired. That account is presented here as a preliminary witness impression, not a final investigative finding. The later official video shows a more complex sequence: gunfire by officers, a dropped weapon, a pause, an apparent reach toward the weapon and additional gunfire. FDLE, not a social-media caption or the employing agency alone, will make the authoritative investigative record.

Authorities have not publicly described a motive or explained why Croteau came to the station. CFL Report is not filling those unanswered questions with speculation about her health, intent or personal history. The released footage contains gunfire and distressing images. The embedded version carries a prominent content warning and does not autoplay.

Sources: Port Orange Police Department official Facebook page and Sept. 4 update, Port Orange Police Department official incident video, Port Orange Police Department, WFTV: Woman who shot inside Port Orange Police Department dies.