Who Was Curtis Kimbrough? Hostages, Chase, and Grant Shootout

Curtis Kimbrough was a 42-year-old Cocoa Beach man with a felony record going back more than two decades who was shot and killed by Central Florida deputies on June 25, 2022, after a kidnapping and a roughly 50-mile chase across three counties. In the Curtis Kimbrough Florida kidnapping, he shot a 41-year-old woman at her Osceola County home, forced her and her 33-year-old roommate into his car at gunpoint, fired on pursuing deputies during the chase, and was killed in a wooded field in southern Brevard County while holding a gun to one hostage’s head. Both women survived.¹

How It Started in Osceola County

The incident began on the evening of Saturday, June 25, 2022, at a residence on Magnolia Court in Okeechobee, in the southern portion of Osceola County. Investigators with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office believe the confrontation grew out of a domestic dispute; Kimbrough and the 41-year-old woman appeared to have previously been in a relationship. BCSO spokesperson Tod Goodyear said, “Something happened at her residence and she was shot.”²

After shooting her, Kimbrough dragged the woman toward his vehicle. Her 33-year-old roommate tried to intervene and was forced into the car as well. Osceola County deputies issued a be-on-the-lookout alert to surrounding agencies.³

The Three-County Chase

Around 8 p.m., the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office spotted Kimbrough’s vehicle and began a high-speed pursuit that stretched across Osceola, Indian River, and Brevard counties along Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1.¹ Dashboard camera footage later released by Indian River County showed Kimbrough weaving through traffic, running red lights, and at one point driving the wrong way in oncoming lanes.⁴ During the pursuit, he fired multiple rounds at deputies from his vehicle.⁵

The Shootout in Grant

The pursuit ended around midnight near Old Dixie Highway and Foley Lane in Grant, a community in southern Brevard County. After driving off-road through fields behind homes and businesses, Kimbrough’s vehicle became disabled. The 41-year-old woman, who had been shot hours earlier, managed to escape the car at that point.⁶

Kimbrough got out with the 33-year-old roommate, put a gun to her head, and backed into a nearby wooded area using her as a shield. Deputies from Brevard County, Indian River County, and the Sebastian Police Department surrounded the area, and a St. Lucie County Sheriff’s helicopter tracked them from the air with a night-vision scope.⁵ Kimbrough spent roughly 20 minutes inside the disabled vehicle, then moved through the woods for about half an hour, holding the gun to the hostage’s head the whole time.⁷ About 15 officers were positioned on the ground.⁸

As Kimbrough neared the edge of the woods and dragged the woman across a field, officers opened fire. The first shot dropped him, followed by additional gunfire from an estimated four or five officers.⁶ He was killed. The hostage was not hit. No officers were hurt during the entire incident.²

What Happened to the Two Women

The 41-year-old woman shot at the home was taken to a hospital in serious condition and was expected to survive. By June 27, she had improved to stable and was speaking with investigators.² The 33-year-old roommate was treated and released the following day.³ Neither woman was publicly named.

Were the Deputies Cleared?

On July 20, 2022, Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers released a video statement announcing that the 18th Judicial Circuit had cleared the deputies involved and found their use of force justified. Flowers called them “true heroes” and noted that Kimbrough had held a gun to the hostage’s head throughout the standoff.⁵ The Indian River deputies returned to duty.⁹ The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said at the time that its own investigation was still active and that the final determination on the use of deadly force rested with Brevard State Attorney Phil Archer, whose office confirmed it had not yet received a completed investigation.¹⁰

Kimbrough’s Criminal Record

Kimbrough’s felony history went back more than 20 years. In May 2004 he was sentenced to prison on three offenses: a 2000 grand theft in Volusia County, a 2003 cocaine possession charge in Indian River County, and a 2003 charge of fleeing from a law enforcement officer, also in Indian River County. He was released in September 2005.³⁷

He later served a five-year sentence with the Florida Department of Corrections for trafficking methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, both committed in Brevard County. He was released on December 16, 2021, a little over six months before the kidnapping.³

1
Florida Today. Gunman Who Took Hostages Shot Dead in Brevard After Three-County Chase
2
ClickOrlando. Wounded Kidnapping Victim in Stable Condition, Brevard Deputies Say
3
FOX 35 Orlando. Who Was Curtis Kimbrough, the Central Florida Kidnapping Suspect Killed in Shootout With Deputies
4
WPBF. Video of Indian River Deputies Chase, Shoot, Kill Armed Man Using Woman as Human Shield
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WQCS. Video of the Chase and Shooting Death of Kidnapping Suspect Released
6
ClickOrlando. Deputies Release Dashcam Video of Kidnapping Suspect Killed in Shootout
7
Florida Today. Cocoa Beach Gunman May Have Known One or Both Osceola Hostages
8
WESH. Indian River County Kidnapping Chase Body Cam
9
CBS 12. Women Kidnapped in Vero Beach, Brevard, Indian River, Osceola County
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Florida Today. BCSO Clears Indian River Deputies Involved in Fatal Shooting