OCALA, Fla. – The Ocala Police Department on Monday detailed what led to law enforcement officers shooting a 23-year-old man near a mental health hospital.
The shooting happened Sunday near the 5500 block of SW 27th Avenue, about a mile and a half south of The Vines Hospital, a mental health clinic where the 23-year-old’s mother said she brought him for a “mental health intervention,” police said.
“They were there for some time. And then her son didn’t want to stay there and he left on foot and mom called us for some help,” Ocala police Deputy Chief Lou Biondi said.
Biondi said the man’s family was doing “everything they could to get him help.”
“They were doing everything they could to get him to the receiving facility, which they did. It’s just he didn’t want to be there,” Biondi said.
Police found the man nearby and said he was armed with bear spray and a knife, according to an arrest affidavit. Biondi said officers negotiated with him and during that time and he “made several statements where he wanted to end his life. The officers did everything they can to deter him from any of that.”
Police said officers used a Taser and fired a 40mm round, which is considered less lethal. During that time, the man opened the bear spray and “he was spraying the officers as he charged toward the one officer with a handgun.”
“At that point the officer with a handgun, fired multiple rounds and subdued the subject. As soon as that happened, officers then went into life-saving measures and did everything they can to apply first aid while medics were in route,” he said.
Police said the man went through several surgeries and is expected to recover.
No officers were injured.
“You know, ideally, in any situation we’re dealing with someone who might be having a mental health episode, we assess them for criteria for Baker Act,” he said. “This is a worst case scenario. None of us wake up in the morning saying, ‘This is the day I’m going to use lethal force on somebody.’ But yes, they did everything by their training and by protocol for this incident.”
The 23-year-old faces charges of aggravated battery and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
Because of the man’s mental health status, News 6 has decided not to name him at this time.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: