Sheriff: Orange deputies kill man who ran at them with knife

A man was fatally shot by deputies Tuesday afternoon after running toward them with a knife near the Lake Fairview community in Orlando, according to the Orange County Sheriff ’s Office.

Deputies responded to the 4000 block on Davisson Avenue around 3 p.m. in regard to a man who had cut himself, Sheriff John Mina said during a news conference Tuesday evening.

Mina said when deputies began approaching the front yard a man emerged from the house and ran toward them “extremely agitated” while holding what looked like a steak knife. In response, deputies fired their weapons and shot him.

“He was yelling all kinds of expletives at the deputies,” Mina said.

The man was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

The deputies have not been identified, but the Sheriff ’s Office confirmed none was injured.

Mina said there is bodycam footage available that will show a man charging at deputies with a knife. He told reporters that deputies told the man to drop his knife before shooting.

“I will tell you that he came out of that house to harm those deputies and, in my opinion, they really had no other choice,” he said.

The Sheriff ’s Office has not shared the identity of the man who was killed. The man was described by Mina as a Black male with a possible history of mental health disorder.

He said deputies responded to the house at least 16 times over the past year for a variety of reasons including verbal arguments and disturbances.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting and turn over findings to the State Attorney’s Office for review.

The two deputies involved have been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.