CHIPLEY — Details remained slim Friday in the fatal shooting of a man in Washington County who reportedly refused to comply with deputies’ commands to lay down what appeared to be a rifle.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office reported the incident began when deputies responded to a call from the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office in reference to a suspicious, armed male walking along U.S. 90 near the Washington-Holmes County line. When deputies passed the suspect, he reportedly raised and pointed the weapon at officers, who took evasive action and called for additional units to assist.
The suspect then fled into a wooded area, and additional officers responded to assist, including the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office and Bonifay Police Department. After numerous requests for the suspect to surrender to officers, authorities said he proceeded to leave the woods, advancing with his weapon pointed at officers as they made several additional attempts to have the suspect surrender and drop his weapon.
According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) report, the suspect continued to advance, prompting shots to be fired by officers. EMS pronounced the suspect dead on scene.
Beyond those basics, not much else is clear, including the name of the deceased.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the investigation of the suspicious person report remains in the hands of the WCSO while FDLE investigates the shooting itself.
“Our investigation is very narrow in scope,” FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger told The Washington County News on Thursday. “All we look at is if the actions by the law enforcement officers were criminal or appropriate.”
Plessinger said the department’s findings will be turned over to the State Attorney’s Office for a final determination after the case concludes, but that investigation could take several months.
“We are still very early in our investigation,” she said. “We’re still looking at all the information and developing a timeline.”
By Friday, there seemed to be some confusion as to which agency would have jurisdiction over releasing the deceased’s name. WCSO spokeswoman Andrea Gainey stressed the information would have to come through the FDLE.
“We won’t be doing official ID on deceased,” Gainey said. “FDLE will handle any confirmation of deceased on their timeline. They’ve assumed the lead on case.”
When contacted by the Washington County News, FDLE referred staff back to the WCSO, again stating their interest in the case remains strictly as to the appropriateness of the officers’ actions.
Plessinger said she would contact the WCSO and confirm which agency will be responsible for releasing additional information.