OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Osceola County sheriff’s deputies shot and killed an 83-year-old man Thursday in a neighborhood near Kissimmee after he pointed a gun at them, according to the sheriff.
A large law enforcement presence converged at the Remington subdivision off Partin Settlement Road after the shooting, during which two deputies fired at the man, later identified as Robert Joseph Layton, while responding to a call, Sheriff Marcos Lopez said in an update.
Deputies said around 3:40 p.m., they received several 911 calls about a man waving a gun in the neighborhood, prompting deputies to respond to Remington Boulevard and Club Villas Lane.
Upon arrival, deputies said they found Layton, who had a firearm. Despite several commands to put down the gun, Layton raised his firearm and pointed it at one of the deputies, according to the sheriff’s office.
“At one point, from my understanding, he points the firearm at the deputies,” Lopez said. “The deputies, how they’re trained, you point a firearm at them, they’re going to shoot you. It’s just the (reality) of life.”
The sheriff’s office explained that deputies shot Layton in response, and the deputies immediately started performing CPR on him. The sheriff’s office said Layton died at the scene.
[TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider]
“We just want you to know this tragedy all the way around and when these kinds of things happen, it’s sad, but please don’t point a firearm at law enforcement,” Lopez said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating.
Stay with News 6 for the latest information.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: