A Florida sheriff's deputy was caught last week in a gun battle with a man armed with a rifle and a handgun who was accused of threatening residents, fatally shooting the suspect.
Bay County sheriff’s deputies responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls on Sept. 3 about an armed man allegedly threatening people as he walked along a Fountain roadway, WMBB-TV reports. When a deputy confronted the suspect—identified as Justin Chandler Smith, 45—the encounter escalated quickly.
In body camera footage released by the sheriff's office, the deputy can be seen trying to de-escalate the situation and persuade Smith to drop his weapon.
“Can I take that body strap and get it off of you?” the deputy says in the footage.
“You worried about it?” Smith replies, adding, "Hey, I’m telling you … you touch me bro.”
That's when Smith pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the deputy. Smith began shooting, and the deputy returned fire.
During the exchange, Smith was struck, but he continued shooting. Finally, the deputy was able to disarm the suspect and began performing CPR until medics arrived, but Smith was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.
This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
