The sheriff’s office has released body camera footage showing the moment a man with a history of mental health issues was killed while charging at Orange County deputies with a knife.
On Thursday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office released the 911 call recording and video footage from one of the body cameras worn during the deputy-involved shooting, which took place on February 6 and claimed the life of 43-year-old Decarlos Cornelius Long.
During a 911 telephone call made shortly before the shooting, one of Long’s friends can be heard telling a dispatcher that his friend had “killed himself” at 4717 Davisson Avenue. After walking out of the home, the caller hears Long scream and tells the dispatcher that he is still alive.
Deputies arrived at the neighborhood a few moments later and spoke with the caller outside of the home. The caller informed them that they had found Long in the home suffering from knife wounds.
As deputies approached the home, Long emerged from the front door with a knife and yelled “I’ll kill you [expletive]” multiple times at the deputies. In the video, Long can be seen running at one of the deputies before he is shot several times by both deputies.
Long was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.
The knife that Long used to harm himself was found next to his body at the scene. During a press conference after the incident, Orange County Sheriff John Mina indicated that his office had responded to the home over a dozen times in the past year.
After the incident, OCSO provided media with a call list showing at least 15 additional calls for service at the home dating back to February 15, 2023.
Among the “situations” described in the list were multiple threats, assaults, rescues, and verbal altercations.
The last call for service on Tuesday was listed as a “suicide attempt.”
During his press conference, Mina described Long as having a history of “mental health issues.”
“I watched the video. He was extremely agitated, running directly at our deputies holding a knife,” said Mina of Long during the initial press conference. “Our deputies really had no choice in the matter, as the way I saw it.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently investigating the fatal shooting and will turn over its findings to the State Attorney’s Office once complete.
The two deputies involved in the incident are on temporary, paid administrative leave. Neither deputy was injured in the incident. One deputy has been with the department for 7 years and the other has been with the department for 16 years, according to the sheriff.