ORANGE COUNTY – A man was killed Sunday after a confrontation with Orange County deputies at a furniture store on East Colonial Drive, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The man initially was struck by a car, then got up and ran back into traffic and was struck by a second car, deputies said.
No one in either vehicle was injured, deputies said.
“After he got hit by the first car he was hit by that second car,” Orange County Undersheriff Mark Canty said. “Callers on that call said it looked like he was intentionally running Intro traffic and trying to get hit by a car.”
The man then ran into a La-Z-Boy showroom and took out a knife, according to deputies. Employees inside the store called 911.
The man was asked by deputies to drop the knife, but he ignored those pleas and moved towards deputies before being struck by gunfire, authorities said.
“He made a very quick movement towards the deputies at which time they discharged their firearms,” Canty said.
The man later died at the hospital.
The two deputies involved in the shooting were uninjured. Neither deputy has been identified. Canty described both deputies as veteran law enforcement officers. One deputy has more than 20 years of experience and the second has more than 11 years, according to Canty.
The two deputies were placed on paid leave which is standard procedure after an officer-involved shooting. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting and turn its findings over to the State Attorney’s Office for review, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
A sign posted on the door of the La-Z-Boy store said the store would reopen Monday at 1 p.m.