An Orange County Sheriff's deputy fatally shot a man armed with a knife who was reportedly in the midst of a mental health crisis, Sheriff John Mina shared in a statement. The incident occurred at a residence on North Ortman Drive after deputies responded to what they were told was a man acting aggressively and breaking items, as further reported by WESH.
Upon their arrival, deputies encountered the man's father who relayed that his son possessed a knife and was confined to a bedroom, the father at the time seemingly fraught with the tension of an unfolding domestic ordeal, deputies made attempts to converse with the man for about five minutes before he emerged "very violently" from the room. Sheriff Mina, detailing the events, stated, “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," according to the sheriff's narrative at a news conference, as reported by ClickOrlando.
A man was hurt during a struggle and later died at the hospital. A deputy also needed treatment for a head cut after falling into a bathtub during the fight in a small home. Sheriff Mina said the situation showed how tough and unpredictable deputies' jobs can be. This was the second deputy-involved shooting that day—the first happened earlier when a deputy shot an armed man behind a discount store in Pine Hills.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate this incident and submit its findings to the state attorney’s office.
