Police kill man armed with rifle, handgun in backyard of Palm Bay home

PALM BAY, Fla. — Police fatally shot a 46-year-old man armed with a rifle and a handgun Tuesday morning in the backyard of a home, the Palm Bay Police Department said.

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Investigators were called at about 12:30 a.m. to the Tucson Road Southwest home near Jupiter Boulevard Southwest and Minton Road after a woman called 911 to report that a man was threatening her and others with a gun.

Police said they tried to make contact with the man, Michael Dishong, upon their arrival, but he barricaded himself in the backyard of the home, arming himself with a rifle and handgun.

The SWAT team was then called to the home, but Dishong refused to cooperate with officers’ orders, they said.

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“When officers confronted the male, he failed to respond to orders at which time shots were fired,” Palm Bay police Lt. Mike Roberts said.

Dishong died at the scene.

The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave with pay, which is standard procedure for police shootings.

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The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.

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See a map of the scene below:

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