A 68-year-old man wanted on child pornography possession charges was shot and killed by a Seminole County Sheriff’s Office detective on Wednesday afternoon after he allegedly reached for a firearm that was in his waistband.
According to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, a search warrant was obtained on Tuesday, September 9, for a home located at 102 Hatfield Court in unincorporated Longwood after the National Center for Missing Exploited Children submitted a cybertip.
When SCSO detectives arrived at the residence, they made contact with the homeowner, Gary Wayne Guckenberger. They observed that Guckenberger had a gun in his possession, and additional firearms were found throughout the home.
During the search, several electronic devices were seized. A forensic examination of the devices was then conducted, and hundreds of images depicting child pornography were allegedly discovered. As a result, an arrest warrant was issued for Guckenberger.
On Wednesday, September 17, at around 3:30 p.m., SCSO detectives were conducting surveillance on Guckenberger’s home when they saw him walk outside. He was “armed with a fully loaded weapon in his waistband” when he approached one of the detectives, according to the sheriff’s office.
The detective instructed Guckenberger to keep his hands away from the firearm in his waistband, but Guckenberger allegedly ignored those instructions and attempted to grab the firearm.
“In response, the Detective discharged his weapon, striking Guckenberger,” said SCSO in a media release.
The detective immediately began life-saving measures until paramedics arrived at the incident location. However, Guckenberger succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma released the following statement after the detective-involved shooting: “We have a responsibility as a society and as a profession to protect our most vulnerable. Our children, who are the victims of these heinous crimes, are at the top of that list.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently investigating the shooting. The detective who was involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of FDLE’s investigation.
In addition, SCSO is conducting its own investigation into the shooting incident.