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FDLE asks: How did one cop kill another?

A campus police officer fires his gun in the air in a scuffle outside a football game and is shot dead by an Orlando officer.

ORLANDO - The state is investigating why an undercover University of Central Florida police officer was fatally shot by an Orlando reserve police officer during a scuffle before a college football game, officials said Monday.

Orlando police Chief Michael McCoy described the shooting death Saturday of UCF Officer Mario Jenkins by Officer Dennis Smith outside the Citrus Bowl as "similar to a military training accident." Another person, Mike Young, also was shot, but was expected to recover.

Jenkins was wearing street clothes and investigating underage drinking at tailgateparties. He got into a scuffle with a student, fired his gun into the air and was then shot by Smith, who was nearby, witnesses said. Smith was placed on administrative leave.

"It never should have occurred," McCoy said. "Both officers were doing what we asked them to do. Both officers had a righteous cause."

He said Smith was feeling "a lot of remorse."

Results of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation likely won't be known for 45 to 60 days, said Jay Etheridge, assistant special agent in charge.

"How it started, who was involved, those are things that are going to take us a while to put together," Etheridge said.

The FDLE was not releasing details on what kind of communication there was between the two agencies before the shooting, whether Jenkins was wearing identification showing he was an officer or whether he had backup. Agents had identified at least 50 tailgaters who witnessed the shootings before UCF's 23-13 victory over Marshall. But they have given differing accounts.

Jenkins, 29, was working with the state Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco when the scuffle broke out. Witnesses said he fired his gun into the air several times before he was shot and killed by Smith.

Neither Richard Turkiewicz, director of public safety at the University of Central Florida, nor McCoy would say whether proper protocol for discharging weapons was followed by both officers.

University of Central Florida officials on Monday said they were setting up a task force to examine tailgating policies and were offering counseling to their students.

[Last modified September 27, 2005, 02:45:31]