Orange County deputies shoot man who pointed gun at them during traffic stop

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies shot an armed 51-year-old man during a traffic stop in the Taft neighborhood Wednesday evening, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

Three deputies in an unmarked vehicle stopped James Ralph Johnson for an unknown reason shortly after 9:15 p.m. at 3th Avenue and 3rd Street, deputies said

"I don't have all of the particulars as regarding the reasoning or the probable cause for the stop, but I can tell you it was a stop that was initiated by our tactical patrol unit,” Orange County Capt. Carlos Torres said.

Johnson got out of a pickup truck and pointed a gun at the deputies, who then opened fire, hitting the man, Torres said.

"The incident happened to be unpredictable. They didn't know what the actions of the individual were until the individual actually exited the vehicle," he said.

Johnson was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he underwent surgery.

Tarah Shayne Greer, 31, was riding in the passenger seat and was detained for questioning, Torres said.

The Sheriff's Office said Deputy David Belardes, Deputy Thomas Boggs and Deputy Carlos Landin were involved in the shooting.

Belardes and Boggs have been employed by the agency since 2015, and Landin has been with the agency since 2017, officials said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting, and the deputies were placed on paid administrative leave, which is typical in police shootings. They were uninjured.

Johnson was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.

Cox Media Group