TAYLOR COUNTY, Fla. — The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office has released body-worn camera footage of a fatal shooting involving a man who threatened officers with a knife after being stopped for speeding, WCTV reported.
The footage shows Sergeant James Peacock initiating the Nov. 17 stop after clocking the suspect driving 88 mph, nearly 30 mph over the speed limit, according to the report. Peacock first instructs the suspect to put his car in park. After some debate, the suspect appears to do so.
Click below to see full video.
Peacock then told the suspect to put both hands out the window of the van. The suspect repeatedly refused to do so, at which point peacock can be seen raising his duty weapon and pointing it at the suspect.
“Stick your…hand out the window!” Peacock can be heard saying.
“What did I do wrong?” the suspect responds.
“I got you at 88 miles an hour,” Peacock replies.
“Ok, write me a speeding ticket then,” the suspect says without complying with the command.
After the suspect continually refused to show both hands to Peacock, Peacock began instructing him to get out of the vehicle.
In all, Peacock issued approximately 20 commands to exit the van, according to the report. When the suspect refused, Peacock called for backup, and K-9 Deputy Darren Whiddon arrived within minutes.
After the suspect remained non-compliant, Whiddon shattered the passenger-side window to unlock the door and physically remove the suspect from the van, video shows. Armed with a folding blade knife, the suspect began swinging it aggressively inside the van.
Dive into the complexities of interpreting body-cam videos accurately. Learn about the challenges and best practices for ensuring transparency and accountability. Law enforcement professionals, how do you ensure accurate interpretation of body-cam footage?
The footage shows both deputies repeatedly ordering the suspect to drop the knife. Instead, he exited the van and charged at Peacock while wielding the weapon and shouting that he would “murder you idiots.” In response, the deputies fired a total of five shots, striking the suspect. Despite being shot, the suspect retained possession of the knife until his death at the scene, according to the report.
State Attorney John Durrett released an investigative report on the incident, concluding that the use of deadly force was justified.
“When a man has been given twenty lawful orders, refuses, and then charges towards an officer while armed with a knife and screaming that he will murder him, deadly force is justified,” Durrett wrote, calling the incident a tragedy but emphasizing that the deputies had no choice.
Taylor County Sheriff Wayne Padgett issued a statement supporting his deputies, according to the report.
“I want to express my full support for our deputies and emphasize the challenging and dangerous nature of the work they do every day to protect our community,” Padgett said. “Our agency remains committed to upholding the highest standards of law enforcement.”
