Headline Surfer illustration / Lethal force is used yet again in dealing with a man with a gun by Volusia County deputies and an Orange City cop overnight on the outskirts of this small city resulting in the death of an unidentified 47-year-old man who was originally pointing a handgun at motorists.ORANGE CITY, Fla. -- A man is dead in Orange City after he pointed a gun at law enforcement officers, prompting "multiple deputies" and a municipal cop to "open fire to neutralize the threat," a Volusia County Sheriff's spokesman said.
The shooting occurred early today after Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies and Orange City police officers responded to reports of a man stopped in the middle of Volusia Avenue and pointing a gun at passing motorists.
Beginning at 11:25 p.m. Monday night, the Sheriff’s Office’s communications center received three calls about a man standing in the middle of Volusia Avenue near Graves Avenue in Orange City pointing a gun at passing cars, with his pickup truck in the road and partially blocking traffic. Orange City officers were first on the scene, but the man had already gotten into his pick-up truck and driven off.
But less than an hour later he was spotted again and killed in a hail of gunfire.
"At 12:24 a.m., as the man stood by his truck, he raised the gun at officers, prompting multiple deputies along with an Orange City officer to open fire," Sheriff's senior civilian PIO Gary Davidson told Headline Surfer. "The man was pronounced dead at the scene."
But less than an hour later he was spotted again and killed in a hail of gunfire. "
At 12:24 a.m., as the man stood by his truck, he raised the gun at officers, prompting multiple deputies along with an Orange City officer to open fire," Sheriff's senior civilian PIO Gary Davidson, shown here, told Headline Surfer. "The man was pronounced dead at the scene."
His identity was not released.
Here is a synopsis of what occurred as described by Davidson: About nine minutes after the first 9-1-1 calls came in, a patrol deputy was first to spot the truck in the vicinity of Volusia Avenue and East Cherokee Avenue. The truck fled from the deputy, but then it was spotted again a few minutes later driving recklessly on Lantern Lane. It then snaked its way through several residential streets before returning to Lantern Lane and stopping in front of a residence in the 600-block.
"The man then got out of the truck with a gun in his hand and was immediately challenged by a deputy and ordered to put down the firearm, but he failed to comply," Davidson said.
"Officers surrounded the man to contain his movements and nearby homes were evacuated," Davidson said, adding, "Orange City police were able to initiate a dialogue with the man over his cell phone in an attempt to get him to surrender. At one point, deputies tried to bring the confrontation to a peaceful end by firing less-lethal bean bag rounds at the man, but it was unsuccessful."
Then, at 12:24 a.m., as the man stood by his truck and raised the gun at officers, they unloaded on him. The dead man is believed to be a 47-year-old Orange City resident.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has been called in to investigate, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings, Davidson added.
No other information was released.