A Sanford man was found guilty of attempting to shoot at law enforcement officers during an altercation in 2021 in which he pointed a gun and pulled the trigger, before the weapon malfunctioned.
Avery Bobby Williams, 39, was found guilty of multiple felony charges by a jury in Orange County circuit court on Wednesday, September 20.
According to court records, the incident took place the day after Christmas in 2021, while deputies were responding to an apartment on Spring Hill Drive in reference to an unknown emergency.
While deputies were responding to the call, a second 911 call came in advising that shots had been fired at the same apartment.
Upon arrival, deputies were told that the man who fired shots, later identified as Williams, had fled the scene and was walking through the apartment complex.
A few minutes later, a deputy spotted Williams and, after Williams saw the deputy, he began running. A foot chase ensued and, as deputies ran after Williams, they yelled commands and identified themselves as members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The deputies chased Williams, deploying an electronic control weapon at him that did not make contact. In body worn camera, deputies are seen chasing Williams before he turns around, assumes a shooting position, and points a firearm at them.
After Williams pointed the firearm, the original arrest affidavit notes that one of the deputies fired at Williams.
Williams continued to run before another deputy caught up with him. Williams attempted to hide in bushes, but was quickly found and commanded to show his hands and drop his weapon.
According to court records, Williams sat up quickly and raised his firearm, pointing it at the deputy. That deputy, who was identified only as female due to Marsy’s Law, fired her service weapon and struck him several times.
Williams was apprehended after he was shot and deputies immediately began administering life-saving measures.
The firearm that Williams had on his person that day, a Bryco Arms .380, was found on the ground next to him after he was shot. According to court records, the firearm malfunctioned and had a “double feed malfunction,” which rendered it “useless at the time of the incident.”
There was a live round in the chamber and if it hadn’t been for the malfunction, the firearm would have fired. During the original incident reported in the apartment complex, the firearm was successfully discharged.
After his arrest, law enforcement authorities discovered that Williams had a long history of criminal arrests and had been sentenced to prison multiple times.
Williams, who has been detained since March 2022, was charged with assault with a firearm of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 16, 2023.
On Wednesday, Orange County Sheriff John Mina issued a statement in light of the verdict:
“Today, an Orange County jury returned a verdict which confirms that our residents will not tolerate violent offenders terrorizing our community and threatening law enforcement with impunity. Avery Williams is a repeat violent criminal that threatened to shoot Orange County deputies, but today he was held to account. He will no longer be able to wreak havoc, thanks to the work of OCSO, and the prosecutors who recognized that anything less than a guilty verdict would only subject our residents and law enforcement to further danger. Hopefully, this verdict turns a page on letting violent criminals off the hook and serves to put other offenders on notice that this community will stand together to ensure they are taken off our streets.”