SWAT deputies kill suspect, 19, who they say fired on them

A 19-year-old man was shot dead Thursday afternoon by five Orange County Sheriff’s Office SWAT deputies after he opened fire at them, Sheriff Jerry Demings said.

“We had a challenging situation where deputy sheriffs were put in a tough situation,” Demings said.

The situation began about 11:30 a.m. at a home in the 2100 block of Woodland Drive off Ocoee Apopka Road near Apopka. Deputies were there to serve an arrest warrant for armed burglary and aggravated assault, Demings said.

When deputies arrived, they saw the man, whose name has not been released, as well as his grandmother. The suspect pointed his gun at the deputies, who retreated, Demings said.

The grandmother fled the home.

The agency dispatched a SWAT team. About 3:30 p.m., the suspect exited the house, Demings said. Ordered to put his hands up, he instead reached for a gun in his waistband, the sheriff said.

Deputies fired at the suspect with nonlethal rounds, Demings said.

The suspect then fired shots at the deputies, Demings said. Five SWAT members opened fire, striking the suspect, who was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, the sheriff said. No deputies were injured. There was a huge law enforcement presence in the neighborhood, including the sheriff’s mobile command unit and crime scene unit vans.

A group of people who knew the man were near the scene yelling at deputies and challenging their account of what happened.

Clifton Moon, 17, said he received a call saying the man was barricaded. He and other friends went to the scene and asked deputies if he could talk him out, but they declined.

“They should have at least let us help,” he said.

Moon said he could see the shooting unfold from the street. He said he didn’t see the man with a gun. “It’s not right,” he said. Demings said there was a gun, and the suspect fired shots. The incident was captured on drone video, which he reviewed and which confirmed much of what deputies told him, Demings said.

Demings also said deputies gave the suspect every opportunity to