Newly released body-worn camera video shows the tense final moments of an 11-hour standoff on Pasadena Drive in Punta Gorda that ended with deputies shooting and wounding a barricaded, armed suspect after he opened fire on officers in his own backyard. The footage, posted Wednesday, documents the August 17 incident that began as a domestic disturbance call and spiraled into a night of gunfire, arson, and a multi-agency siege on the 28000 block.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office shared the bodycam clip on Facebook, warning that it contains graphic images and language captured by deputies' body cameras during the shooting. The video centers on the moment an armed suspect was struck in the hand by deputy gunfire before being taken into custody. YourSun identified the suspect as 51-year-old Renel Joseph and described him as a convicted felon. Joseph was described as an undocumented alien.
A Frantic 911 Call Sets Off the Siege
A Frantic 911 Call Sets Off the Siege The standoff began after family members fled the Pasadena Drive home and called 911 from a neighbor's house during a domestic disturbance. Family members had heard Joseph load a weapon. Deputies responded just before 8 p.m. on August 17 and contacted Joseph by phone, but he refused to leave.
What followed was hours of escalating violence. Joseph set fire to a car in the driveway, lit fires inside the residence, and shot at and damaged a SWAT armored vehicle, per the same account.
The standoff ended in gunfire shortly before dawn. Deputies returned fire at approximately 6:19 a.m. on August 18 after Joseph opened fire toward two officers in the backyard, striking him in the hand before taking him into custody 20 minutes later, WENG Radio reported. Joseph was transferred to Gulf Coast Medical Center for treatment before being booked into jail.
Felony Charges
Joseph faced five counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, first-degree arson of an occupied dwelling, second-degree arson, battery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and resisting an officer with violence.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office has released body-worn camera footage before. In April, the agency released bodycam video for two separate fatal deputy-involved shootings in Port Charlotte; the Major Crimes Unit was to investigate, with its findings going to the State Attorney's Office, according to Local 10 News.
A Pattern of Domestic Calls Turning Violent
That April reporting also detailed a shooting on Barker Avenue in Englewood, where 52-year-old Keith D. Blevins was killed after pointing a gun at responding deputies during a domestic dispute call — a case Hoodline covered at the time. Both that case and the Pasadena Drive standoff originated from domestic violence emergency calls, underscoring how quickly those situations can turn deadly for responding officers.
The standoff involved the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and SWAT.
