Florida Sheriff Gives Perfect Answer As To Why Officers Shot Man Who Ambushed Them So Many Times

 

A deputy-involved shooting in Florida that resulted in the death of a suspect — a guy who was out on bail for drug trafficking and had a history of violent crimes, according to police — was captured on dash camera video published Thursday.

Brian Potters and Tyler Thoman, deputies with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, were conducting a traffic check on Aug. 30 near Melbourne, about 70 miles southeast of Orlando, when they were ambushed and shot at, according to Sheriff Wayne Ivey, who released a video documenting the incident.

In a statement, the sheriff said the attack and ambush were carried out by a “violent, career criminal” who had a criminal record that included 40 charges for crimes such as drug trafficking, aggravated assault while discharging a firearm, battery on an officer, and attempted first-degree felony murder.

Both dashcams recorded the whole event, which lasted about one minute in total.

In this video, Deputy Thoman can be seen talking to a lady outside her vehicle about the 2-month-old infant and dog in the backseat, while another vehicle passenger is resting against the back of the vehicle. The accused gunman, whose name has not yet been revealed, is seated in the backseat of the vehicle, according to police.

When Potters requests him to leave the vehicle, the suspect began firing and takes position at the front of the car, placing the infant sitting inside in danger, according to Ivey, who saw the shooting. At about the same time the suspect seems to have been injured by police fire, Potters is heard claiming that he was shot.

Ivey said the suspect attacked Potters from behind as the deputies were moving to the side of a police vehicle after his rifle jammed, hitting him in the head with his butt of the weapon before they both fell to the ground.

Thoman then opened fire on the suspect, who was fatally wounded as a result of the shooting. Potters was shot in the leg and suffered lacerations to his skull, tissue damage, and bone fractures, according to the sheriff’s department.

Ivey said that the two residents who were standing outside the building had nothing to do with the ambush.

There were a total of 61 shots fired, according to him.

As the sheriff put it, ”Let there be no doubt, this individual got exactly what he deserved,”  He then answered those who may be critics of this totally justified shooting, “and to those out there that might be foolish enough to ask why we shot him so many times, the answer is simple: evil can never be dead enough.”