A man was fatally shot by Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies early Saturday morning after he allegedly charged at them while wielding a knife.
According to OCSO, a woman called 911 at around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 21, to report that her boyfriend – a man in his 40s – had a knife and was threatening to “kill himself.” Deputies soon arrived at InTown Suites located at 1951 Central Florida Parkway in Orlando, where they encountered the man who was holding a knife.
The sheriff’s office stated that the man returned to his room. The deputies remained in the parking lot and attempted to get him to come outside without the knife so they could “get him the help he needed.”
After approximately 20 minutes, the man exited the room while “holding the knife above his head.” According to OCSO, the man then proceeded to run toward the deputies, who responded by firing their service weapons.
The man sustained gunshot wounds, and the deputies immediately rendered aid until paramedics arrived on scene. He was then transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
The name of the man was not released by the sheriff’s office.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently conducting an investigation into the deputy-involved shooting, and its findings will then be turned over to the State Attorney’s Office for review. Once that process is complete, OCSO will conduct its own internal investigation.
In a media release on Saturday morning, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office stated that the deputies who fired their weapons are on “temporary, paid administrative leave pending the initial FDLE review.”