Orlando unveils road sign honoring Officer Valencia after 2021 death from gunshot wound

A little more than three years after Officer Kevin Valencia’s passing, Meghan Valencia smiled tearfully as she watched Orlando police Chief Eric Smith tug at a black sheet covering a marker of her late husband’s legacy.

“Officer Kevin Valencia Memorial Highway,” a stretch of South Kirkman Road between Vineland and Conroy roads, was unveiled Wednesday in honor of the Orlando police officer, who died in 2021 after succumbing to a gunshot to the head he suffered years earlier. A copy of the sign was gifted to Meghan, who was joined by their two children and dozens of loved ones along with Valencia’s fellow officers, including squad mates who worked directly with him.

“He was a hero and this sign reminds us all about Officer Valencia’s bravery and sacrifice,” Mayor Buddy Dyer said. “He was there when our community needed him most.”

Valencia, 29, started with the Orlando Police Department in 2016, garnering numerous awards during that time including two for lifesaving.

In June 2018, he responded to a domestic violence call at an apartment complex where he was shot in the head. The shooting sparked a 21-hour standoff between officers and Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr., who killed four children — between the ages 1 of 11 — before killing himself.

Initially, there was hope Valencia would pull through. He was reportedly responsive for a time — capable of squeezing a hand and giving a thumbs up while in a coma. He officially retired in 2020, with Meghan Valencia accepting a purple heart from OPD on his behalf as he showed signs of improvement.

In March 2021, then-Chief Orlando Rolón announced Valencia’s passing about a month before his 30th birthday.

“I hope today serves as a reminder of our community’s commitment to always remembering Kevin’s sacrifice to ensure the safety of others,” Smith said Wednesday. “To Kevin’s squad and all members of our law enforcement community — know that we all stand behind you. Stay vigilant, stay safe and look out for one another.”

Valencia was the same man in uniform as he was out of it, Meghan Valencia said. He was compassionate and generous to those around him. As a father, he was willing to share the load of parenting his boys with Meghan — the pair being childhood sweethearts since they were 12.

She described him as charming and funny.

“We called each other Beavis and Butt-Head,” Meghan recalled with a laugh, referring to the iconic MTV cartoon duo. “I hope that’s the person that everybody remembers. He was fun and loving and silly and charismatic and just somebody that everybody loved.”

The sign commemorating Valencia was the result of a bill passed in the 2023 legislative session renaming the road proposed by state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, and state Reps. Bruce Antone and Rita Harris, both Orlando Democrats.

Harris, who spoke at the unveiling ceremony, said she hopes the designation ensures anyone who drives or walks by remembers his name.

“He loved to serve. He loved to protect, and that’s what he did,” she said. “He went into danger not knowing if he would come out, because he knew that he wanted to help people.”

As widow of a police officer, Meghan Valencia said she’s struggled to move forward, but not without the support of fellow officers and leaders in the department. Smith, who spoke with reporters after the ceremony, said the agency will continue to support the family.

“For a police officer, we know every day could be our last, and it’s what you do after tragedy happens,” he said of maintaining morale after Valencia’s death. “My biggest thing is to keep Meghan and the boys a part of our family.”