A 43-year-old Orange County man armed with a shotgun was shot and killed overnight after he confronted three sheriff’s deputies and his father-in-law, officials said.
“We heard five gunshots, and that was it, and we just kind of stayed inside,” said neighbor Soliel Aponte.
Three deputies responded to the Marsh Lily Drive home of William Charbonneau at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday after a family member reported he was making suicidal threats, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.
The law enforcement response started when Deputy Richard Nye pulled over a speeding car, and the driver told him they were rushing home, because Charbonneau was threatening to kill himself.
Nye and two other deputies continued on to Charbonneau's home with the family member, investigators said.
When the deputies didn't find him inside the home, they went to the back yard, where they found Charbonneau armed with a shotgun, the sheriff's office said.
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The deputies ordered him to put down the shotgun, the sheriff’s office said.
“There were numerous exchanges and commands regarding the firearm that he possessed. He did not obey any of those commands, and shots were fired regarding his possession of the firearm. He was a threat to the deputies, and the father-in-law was also in close proximity when this occurred,” said Angelo Nieves, of the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
When Charbonneau refused to put down the weapon, Nye opened fire, hitting Charbonneau several times, investigators said.
Charbonneau was taken to Florida Hospital East, where he later died.
Charbonneau’s friend and neighbor, Scott Walker, said the man had been going through some issues recently but didn’t realize Carbonneau’s situation was so dire.
“I had texted him at 9 p.m., ‘Are you doing OK?’ but had not heard back,” Walker said.
Carbonneau was dealing with “just a lot of stress,” Walker said. “The stress of having a young family, work. Often, we don’t know how to deal with the stresses and take them out in ways that we normally wouldn’t do if we weren’t in those kinds of situations. Bill was a great man. (I’m) sad to hear what happened.”
The other two deputies, Nathan Alewuim and trainee Katherine Perez-Thomas, did not fire their service weapons, the sheriff’s office said.
All three were placed on administrative leave per sheriff’s office policy.
Charbonneau’s death is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Cox Media Group
