Deputy shoots, kills man allegedly walking streets with rifle near Lake Worth

LAKE WORTH, Fla. (CBS12) — A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputy shot and killed a man Thursday morning who was allegedly threatening passerby with a rifle at a shopping plaza near Boynton Beach.

According to Bradshaw, the slain suspect was pointing guns at people outside a Dunkin’ Donuts on the corner of Hypoluxo Road and Military Trail when the deputy was called. He also allegedly tried to carjack a woman who had a child in the vehicle, the sheriff said at a news conference held at the scene of the shooting.

Around 9:30 a.m., a deputy responded to the scene and tried to de-escalate the situation, Bradshaw explained. The suspect was allegedly combative and pointed his rifle at the deputy, the sheriff said.

“Get your hands up,” the deputy commanded, Bradshaw said.

That’s when, the sheriff said, the suspect picked up a shotgun in a Walmart shopping cart and continued to resist the deputy, however the deputy was able to talk him into putting down the shotgun.

According to Bradshaw, the suspect went to pick up the rifle that was on the ground and the deputy fired. Bradshaw said he did not know how many shots the deputy fired. The individual was taken to a hospital but did not survive.

“The deputy tried to deescalate and the guy decided he wasn’t going to have any part of it,” Bradshaw said.

Investigators have not released the name of the man whom the deputy shot. They say he was 38 years old and had prior arrests for aggravated assault with a weapon and resisting arrest with violence.

“I think it’s a bit sad because it’s happening everywhere. You see the crime that’s goin’ on throughout our whole world. It’s just not here, it’s everywhere. I live up in New York and it’s the same thing. It’s actually worse,” said Nelson Ozel, a motorist who was across the street from the shooting scene.

“I was just kinda doing morning stuff getting ready for the day and just heard two shots. I mean it’s kinda shocking. You don’t expect that kind of thing in your neighborhood. But I worked with the sheriff’s office for 9 years as a chaplain and I’ve been to a few scenes like this before so I know to kinda stay out of the way,” said Father Philip Kontos, St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church, which is across the street from where the shooting occurred.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting, along with PBSO Internal Affairs.

“This could’ve ended really bad. I mean, who knows who he was gonna shoot. So the deputy did a very good job neutralizing a very dangerous threat out here and did everything he could to de-escalate the situation,” Sheriff Bradshaw said.