PALM BAY, Fla. — Two police officers shot a 70-year-old man who was armed with a gun Wednesday evening at a home, the Palm Bay Police Department said.
Officers Peter Dolci and Duane Smith were sent to a home on Americana Boulevard Northwest at about 6 p.m. because Andrew John Pastor was threatening to kill himself, Palm Bay police Lt. Mike Bandish said.
Pastor brandished a gun in front of the officers and they shot him in the leg, Brandish said.
Investigators said the wounded man was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne to be treated for injuries that weren’t life-threatening.
Neighbor Clayton Bennett said he knew something was wrong when he heard sirens nearing his home.
“I just heard a commotion of police cars and ambulances,” he said. “They started putting up crime tape around my mailbox, the neighbor's mailbox and down there. And I realized that something happened over there at their house.”
Bennett said Pastor lives with and cares for his 91-year-old mother, who is blind.
“They need each other to survive,” he said.
Bennett said he’s noticed a deterioration in his neighbor’s mental and physical health.
Pastor's mother was at home during the shooting but wasn’t injured, police said.
Investigators said Pastor is expected to be charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
The officers, who weren’t injured, were placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.
The agency has employed Dolci since August 2016 and Smith since June 2015, Bandish said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement continues to investigate the shooting.
No other details were given.
Cox Media Group
