Relatives identified the victim as 17-year-old Erick Pinzon and gathered near Plaza del Sol Mall to remember him.
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Family members created a small memorial outside Plaza del Sol Mall on Thursday for a 17-year-old they identified as the victim of a homicide under investigation by Kissimmee police.
The family identified the teenager as Erick Pinzon and said he had been shot and killed. Police had not publicly confirmed Pinzon’s identity or the family’s account of how he died as of Friday. Investigators also had not announced an arrest, named a suspect or disclosed what may have led to the death.
Officers were called at about 10:49 p.m. Wednesday to 3831 W. Vine St., where they found a person behind the shopping center. The person was pronounced dead at the scene. Police later described the case as a homicide and said it appeared to be an isolated incident with no known danger to the wider public.
Pinzon’s relatives gathered near the mall the following night, placing items at the memorial as they mourned and called for an end to gun violence. His sister, Jacki Monge, spoke about the lasting harm caused when a life is taken.
“This gun violence needs to stop,” Monge said. “What do you guys get out of that? Put yourself in the person’s life that you just took and the family’s life that you just snatched their person from.”
The family’s public identification gave the victim a name while the police investigation remained limited in detail. Authorities had not said whether they were awaiting formal identification, notifying additional relatives or withholding the name for investigative reasons.
Police focused their work behind the mall and were also seen examining an area at the Arbors at Sendera Condos, which sits across the street from the back of the shopping center. Investigators did not say whether the condominium property was connected to the homicide or whether evidence had been collected there.
The death also unsettled nearby residents despite the department’s statement that the incident was isolated. Carmen Mercado, who lives close to the area, said the investigation had left her shocked. “You got to be so careful,” she said.
Authorities had not released information about a suspected motive, the events that preceded the death or whether investigators were seeking witnesses. The Kissimmee Police Department said the investigation remained active, with no further circumstances publicly confirmed as of Friday.
Author note: Last updated July 24, 2026.