Orange County deputy shoots, kills ‘schizophrenic' man armed with knife, sheriff says in wake of earlier shooting

Yahoo

15 hours ago

An Orange County deputy sheriff fatally shot a 'schizophrenic' man who tried to stab him Saturday afternoon just hours after another deputy shot and injured a man attacking him outside a discount store, according to Sheriff John Mina.
Around 3:30 p.m. deputies responded to a house in the 200 block of North Ortman Drive regarding a 911 call about a 'schizophrenic man who was reportedly not taking his medication and acting erratically … breaking plates in the street,' Mina said during a news conference a few hours after the incident.
When deputies arrived they met with the man's father, who was 'very calm,' and he told them his adult son was in the bedroom with a knife, he said. Mina did not provide any personal details about the man who was killed.
'Our deputies were in the hallway for about five minutes trying to speak with the man when the man suddenly exited the bedroom with a knife and within one second tried to stab one of our deputies,' he said. 'He then grabbed the deputy's gun and tried to stab the deputy again.
'It's at that point our deputy used his service weapon, striking the man several times.'
Deputies rendered first aid until paramedics arrived and transported him to a hospital where he later died, Mina said. The deputy was also taken to a hospital where he was treated for lacerations on the back of his head. He said the deputy likely was injured when he fell backward into a bathtub while the man was attacking and he might 'need a stitch or two but he's going to be OK.'
Based on his decades of experience, the sheriff said the day's incidents show that people today are more willing to use violence against law enforcement.
'I've been doing this for 34 years and I don't think we've ever had two deputy-involved or two officer-involved shootings in one day,' Mina said. 'You'll see the body-worn camera footage within 30 days. He clearly tried to kill our deputy.'
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the incident, as is standard in officer-involved shootings, and turn its findings over to the State Attorney's Office, he said. Once that review is complete the Sheriff's Office will do an internal investigation. The deputy is being put on paid administrative leave — also standard procedure.
Earlier in the day, a deputy investigating a suspicious person behind the Save Discount store on North Hiawassee Road in Pine Hills was attacked by a man when he kept him from fleeing. The deputy was punched in the face and head at least 20 times and shot him when he tried to reach for a handgun that fell out a bag he had.
Mina said the man, who he declined to identify, was transported to a hospital where he was last reported in stable condition. The deputy, who also was not identified, was taken to a hospital to be checked for possible head injuries and was last reported in good condition.
The sheriff said the man will be charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer plus additional charges related to the firearms he had.