An individual has been detained on suspicion of deliberate arson following a CVS store explosion in Kissimmee that caused injuries to three people in April. As per the court documents obtained by ClickOrlando, the incident, which initially sparked confusion and concern, was later confirmed to have been a calculated act of arson.
Surveillance footage from the area captured a suspect, later identified by authorities as Joao Marcelo Mendes Minillo, entering the store before the incident occurred. Clad in a black T-shirt and pants and carrying a red gasoline container, Minillo was observed pouring a flammable liquid on store shelves and merchandise. After the ignition of the liquid, a blaze erupted, the store was engulfed in flames, and customers and staff were plunged into a state of panic, leading to the injuries reported, in a statement obtained by WESH.
In the aftermath of the fire, a pivotal piece of evidence was reportedly provided to investigators by an employee from a nearby business who relayed that an individual, reeking of gasoline and with singed hair, had entered their establishment in a “panicked state.” The description matched that of a person asking about burn cream; an envelope containing hair shed from the suspect was handed over to law enforcement, according to the reports by ClickOrlando…