A teen boy who was beaten and unconscious at a park in Winter Park has died, and police said Tuesday that several high school students have been identified as possible suspects in the attack.

  • Roger Trindade, 15, taken off life support Monday
  • Trindade was found beaten in Winter Park on Saturday night
  • Investigators have found teens who they think beat him

A makeshift memorial was growing near the site in Central Park where 15-year-old Roger Trindade, a Winter Park High School student, was found unconsious Saturday night. He was taken off life support Monday night.

“This was a tragedy,” Winter Park Police Chief Michael Deal said during a news conference Tuesday.

Investigators said a fight broke out just before 10 Saturday night, and Trindade was beaten. They said he may have been sprayed in the face with something, instigating the fight.

Trindade, who moved from Brazil about a year ago, was beaten, punched and kicked, a police report said. He was taken to a hospital and put on life support.

“The Trindade family is very thankful for all the extended communities thoughts and prayers. The family has requested privacy at this time to mourn the loss of their son,” Winter Park Mayor Steve Leary said.

Despite the beating, police said Tuesday that Trindade showed minimal signs of trauma when first responders found him, so the cause of death will have to be determined by a medical examiner.

Police said they have found all of the others involved in the fight, but no arrests have been made.

“What we do know at this particular time is that this was not gang-related, this was not racially motivated and certainly not a hate crime, at least that’s what we’re finding out so far,” Deal said Tuesday.

Police also don't think the group of teens intended to hurt or kill someone before the beating, and police are not concerned about safety in the Central Park area. Several Winter Park High School students have been identified in connection with the beating.

Trindade “would just bust out laughing, he laughed for so long... he was a kind, friendly face," said Ashley Julison, a friend of Trindade. "He was someone that if you didn’t have a partner in class, you would be partners with him. He would always just offer.

“When you see stories about kids getting into fights and dying over fights, you think that they’re in bad places and they’re hanging out with bad people, but Roger had a future," Julison said. "He had such potential. He had so much that he could give to the world, and to see someone take that away from him, it hurts a lot.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police or make an anonymous call to Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.


Flowers have been left near the site where Winter Park High School student Roger Trindade was found beaten and unconscious Saturday night, Oct. 15, 2016. He died 2 days later. (William Claggett, staff)