ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County deputy was placed on paid leave after fatally shooting a man Sunday evening, investigators said.
The deputy responded to a domestic disturbance call at a mobile home on Edgewater Drive at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, where a man was attacking his wife, authorities said. The deputy feared for the woman's life, investigators said.
Eric Dunphy's wife made the call for help, and when deputies, they said arrived the incident escalated.
After seeing deputies, they said Dunphy went back to his house and allegedly put his wife in a headlock, and then held some kind of tool to the back of her head.
"Once the suspect saw him, he made threats to kill his wife," said Deputy Ginette Rodriguez of the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators said the deputy was forced to take action, using deadly force to end the attack.
"In this situation, the deputy used his best judgment and it was a lethal situation so that's when he fired his handgun," said Rodriguez.
Deputies said they have been called on domestic violence incidents involving the couple before, and Dunphy has had several run-ins with the law before.
WFTV found out his wife had a domestic violence injunction against him, but she still lived with him.
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