OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — An Osceola County deputy’s use of deadly force during a violent encounter is under investigation, but so is a piece of equipment he was wearing at the time.
The shooting happened July 8 after deputies were called to a home in Osceola County for a man who authorities said appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis.
Body camera video shows the deputy trying to talk with the man before the encounter quickly turned violent.
Within seconds, the two were involved in a physical struggle. During the fight, the deputy’s body camera fell off, but video from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office helicopter captured the confrontation from above.
The video shows the man on top of the deputy and repeatedly striking him before the deputy fired his gun.
Investigators are now reviewing not only the shooting, but also what happened to part of the deputy’s ballistic vest during the struggle.
The sheriff’s office said a piece of equipment known as a quick-release MOLLE attachment came undone during the fight. The attachment allows deputies to secure equipment, including a Taser, to the front of their vest where it can be quickly reached.
When the attachment came lose, the deputy’s Taser flipped upward, making it more difficult to access.
That raised the question of whether the equipment failure played a role in the deputy’s decision to use his gun instead of his Taser.
Major Alex Guevara told 9 Investigates he does not believe it did.
“I don’t believe that the vest had anything to do with his decision,” Guevara said. “The decision was very clear. You can tell in the video how everything was going, and I believe the deputy made a good decision.”
Guevara said the deputy did not realize the equipment had broken until after the confrontation.
Still, the issue involving the vest attachment will be included as part of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into the shooting.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office recently purchased more than 450 Angel Armor vests after Sheriff Chris Blackmon was appointed.
The sheriff’s office told 9 Investigates the new vests were purchased because some deputies were wearing ballistic vests that had reached or were nearing the end of their expected five-year service life.
The vests were paid for using immigration-related funding.
Just weeks after the new equipment was issued, however, the July confrontation exposed a potential problem with the quick-release attachment.
After contacting Angel Armor, Guevara sent a message to sheriff’s office employees explaining what the agency had learned.
“Based on the information provided to us, this is the first documented report the company has received involving a potential failure of this particular attachment,” the message said.
As a precaution, deputies have now been instructed to secure their equipment directly to the vest instead of using the attachment involved in the July incident.
Guevara emphasized that the change does not mean the ballistic vest itself is considered unsafe.
“I want to emphasize that this precautionary measure does not mean the Angel Armor vest itself is considered unsafe,” he wrote.
9 Investigates has reached out to Angel Armor for comment but has not yet received a response.
The FDLE investigation into the deputy-involved shooting remains ongoing.
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