Ocoee High football standout Dexter Rentz Jr. killed in shooting

UPDATE:

During a 4 p.m. press conference Sunday, April 26, regarding the shooting of Dexter Rentz Jr., Sergeant Joe Capece of the Orlando Police Department said that when officers arrived on scene two vehicles were seen leaving — one heading eastbound on Raleigh Street towards Columbia Street, while the other was going westbound.

Officers made contact with one of the vehicles at the corner of Mable Butler Avenue and Columbia Street, and inside that vehicle was Rentz, who was suffering from a gunshot wound, Capece said. Those officers provided first aid until the fire department arrived — Rentz was then transported to ORMC where he was pronounced deceased, Capece said.

The other vehicle, which was heading west, was found to have not been a part of the incident.

No motive is known at this time, but given the early evidence, OPD does not believe the shooting to be random — though it is not known who the target was at this time, Capece said.

ORIGINAL STORY

Ocoee High School senior and football standout Dexter Rentz Jr., 18, died overnight after being shot, according to the Orlando Police Department.

The report from OPD stated that the shooting happened Saturday night around 11:20 p.m. — it was at that time that OPD responded to shots fired in the area of Elese Street and Deerock Drive in the Carver Shores neighborhood.

Little is known at the moment, but four people in total were shot, with Rentz being the only fatality, OPD said. The current condition of the other three survivors is not known at this time.

Rentz was a tremendous athlete for the Knights football team throughout his years at the school, and was an offensive weapon who had a knack for burning opposing defenses. His play on the field garnered him scholarship offers, and in December 2019 he signed on to play football at the University of Louisville.

Rentz’s passing hit the sports community hard, with coaches and players reacting to the news on social media.

“I got the phone call today about some sad news about the loss of one of my (nine) guys that have signed on to play college football,” said Ocoee assistant coach Henry Anderson in a Facebook post early Sunday morning. “Not only (have) I lost a good kid but lost a brother.”

Fellow Ocoee teammate Lovie Jenkins — who also signed on to play at Louisville — tweeted out, “Forever I gotcha brotha” in memory of his lost friend.

Ocoee track coach David Peaco remembered Rentz, who was a member of the track team, in a Facebook post just before 8:30 a.m.

“He had tried so hard to get himself prepared for college,” Peaco said. “Dexter, I appreciate your commitment to run track for me this year. I will never forget you being a man of your word. You will be truly missed.”

This is an ongoing story, and new information will be added as it comes in.