Christmas Day morning in Altamonte Springs was disrupted by an officer-involved shooting that occurred after a police call to escort a concerned wife into her home. The call, placed at roughly 10:43 a.m. and reported by WFTV, originated from a woman worried about her husband's erratic behavior the previous night. Upon arrival at the 700 block of Florida Boulevard, the Altamonte Springs Police Department found Stephen Scherer had locked himself in a bedroom within the household.
After requesting that the wife and family members vacate the premises, police attempted to communicate with Scherer to persuade him to come outside directly. During the standoff, Scherer shattered a bedroom window, emerging with a handgun, and began to quickly move toward other family members, as detailed by WESH. Officers on the scene issued loud verbal commands for Scherer to disarm and deployed a Taser to contain the situation non-lethally.
The tense episode escalated when Scherer ignored the commands and turned towards his wife, raising the firearm. This action prompted both an Altamonte Springs police officer and a deputy from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office to discharge their service weapons. The events leading up to the shooting, including Scherer's threatening movements with the handgun, compelled the officers to react to neutralize the immediate threat posed towards family members and officers alike.
After the shooting, immediate medical attention was rendered to Scherer, who was subsequently hospitalized for his injuries. According to both sources, he has been charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
