Loxahatchee Groves man killed by deputy ID’d

The Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office has identified both the deputy and the victim involved in a fatal shooting early Saturday.

Ricky Whidden, 46, died after a confrontation at the home he shared with his parents on the east side of Loxahatchee Groves, the sheriff ’s office said.

The deputy who shot him, Justin Rigney, is a 10-year member of the department assigned to its K-9 unit. Following department policy, Rigney has been placed on administrative leave while the PBSO reviews the incident. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement also is conducting its own review.

Authorities said Whidden was wielding a knife and threatening to kill himself and his family at a home on the 13000 block of Compton Road, north of Okeechobee Boulevard and west of Folsom Road.

Deputies at the scene tried to negotiate with Whidden. After Whidden refused to cooperate, one deputy shot him with a rubber-ball gun, knocking him down, PBSO spokeswoman Teri Barbera said.

W h e n d e p u t i e s approached to arrest Whidden, he jumped up, lunging at them with the knife still in his hand, Barbera said. Rigney then fired his gun, hitting the man, Barbera said. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue determined Whid- den was dead.

The fatal shooting was the 87th of 2016 in Palm Beach County and the first in Loxahatchee Groves, according to a Palm Beach Post database. The deputy-involved shooting was the third of the year in the county, following ones in January in Belle Glade and June in Wellington.