BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — An autopsy was being conducted Wednesday afternoon on a driver who was shot and killed by a police officer and a deputy in Brevard County early Wednesday morning during a traffic stop. The driver was identified as 40-year-old Michael Pagan.
The deadly shooting happened on the exit ramp of Interstate 95 and Eau Gallie Boulevard around 2:30am. Officers said Pagan came at them with what appeared to be a steak knife.
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Police suspected the Palm Bay man was drunk and tried to pull him over. Investigators said he refused to listen to orders to stay in his car and, when they saw what appeared to be the knife, they opened fire.
"I was just hoping it wasn't him, that's all," said the driver's cousin, Niesha Hill.
After seeing the car on television, relatives of the driver started showing up at the I-95 exit ramp looking for answers.
"He was a good person. He loved children, my kids, oh my God. I can't even dare tell them anything," Hill said.
Hill also said Pagan's family had been trying to find him overnight, but didn't know where he was.
Investigators said, around 2:30am Wednesday, a West Melbourne police officer spotted Pagan driving erratically, suspected he was drunk and tried to pull him over. The officer followed him up the interstate, calling for back-up. Investigators said, when Pagan finally stopped at the Eau Gallie exit ramp, he got out of his car, knife in hand and yelled he wasn't going to go back to prison.
"He came towards them with the knife in an aggressive manner, stating that his intent was to hurt them or to kill them. And, at that point, they reacted with deadly force," said Lt. Scott Goodyear, Brevard County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities said one officer fired his taser, but it didn't have any affect. It's unknown if the taser actually struck Pagan. When Pagan continued to move toward police, a West Melbourne police officer and a sheriff's deputy both opened fire; Pagan died on the scene.
Pagan's family said the out-of-work roofer didn't drink. Toxicology tests are being performed to see if there was any alcohol or drugs in his system.
The deputy and officer involved were placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard protocol in cases like this.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken video recordings from the patrol cars, but it is unknown what it shows.
Investigators said Pagan, who was on probation, had an extensive local criminal history and was recently released from the Department of Corrections after serving approximately 12 years. Public records show Pagan was in state prison until 2006.
WFTV
