FRUITLAND PARK, Fla. – Fruitland Park Police say they responded to a crash around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday along Mirror Lake Drive.
That’s when they encountered 53-year-old Duane Holston carrying a hatchet as he walked away from a crashed pickup truck.
Officers say they told him to stop, but he didn’t, saying he “just wanted to go home.”
Officers say they continued trying to get Holston to drop the hatchet, but when he reached for a gun, officers shot.
Police say the man was hit and eventually died after officers tried to give him medical aid.
Records show that Holston had an extensive criminal history in different counties like Lake, Orange, Citrus and Osceola. He faced multiple charges that involve traffic, such as driving while license suspended, felony petit theft, felony fleeing or attempting, and vehicle theft grand 3rd degree.
[BELOW: Man with hatchet killed in Fruitland Park Police shooting]
Police Chief Henry Rains says that life-saving decisions took place in a matter of seconds as things quickly began to escalate.
“I would say from the time that the second officer got there, you’re talking seconds,” he said.
No officers were hurt in the shooting.
Rains noted that he felt confident in the steps his officers took when it came to the shooting and how this was the first deadly officer-involved shooting they’ve had.
News 6 asked the chief about what could have happened to cause the car crash, though Rains says that’s a part of the investigation.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.