OVIEDO, Fla. – An Oviedo patrol officer who shot a man in September while responding to a call will be facing charges in connection with the incident, the State Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.
Matthew Danler, 37, said he shot Jason Denard Scott, 33, because Scott was trying to run him over during an incident on Sept. 1. Danler, along with two other officers, was responding to a call for help on Sharon Court in Oviedo when the shooting happened.
The incident marked the first officer-involved shooting in Oviedo in more than 30 years, officials said.
Scott survived the gunshot wound to his abdomen.
Danler has been on administrative leave since the shooting. He surrendered at the Seminole County Jail Tuesday afternoon, according to a news release.
“This was a difficult case. Whether or not an officer is justified in an on-duty shooting is of tremendous public importance and I felt that in this case it was important to have input from the community through the Grand Jury,” State Attorney Phil Archer said in a statement.
Danler is charged with two counts of aggravated battery and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle.
Prior to the shooting, the Oviedo Police Department disciplined Danler on more than one occasion. Danler was suspended in July 2014 for violations of obedience and safe driving for going 104 mph through Oviedo during an unauthorized pursuit, records show.
Officials said Danler turned off his camera when he pulled over a possibly intoxicated detective in March 2015. Danler did not immediately report the incident. The department suspended him.
Danler was fired in September 2015 for insubordination after pulling over a tree trimmer, despite direct orders not to do so, records show. Danler was ultimately reinstated.