Daytona Beach, FL -
Update: On Wednesday, The Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death of the 23-year-old man in Tuesday's officer-involved shooting a suicide.
The man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the left side of his neck, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD).
The name of the officer who opened fire on the man is Chris Maher, and the officer remains on administrative leave, which is the standard in these circumstances. Police Chief Craig Capri said at a press conference Wednesday that Maher fired his weapon four to five times and was about 40 yards away.
DBPD says though the officer did fire his weapon, none of the bullets actually struck the man. The shooting remains under investigation by Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Capri calls the events a tragedy and says that our healthcare system needs to do a better job of evaluating mental illness. The man had been trying to seek help for a mental illness for two weeks.
"It was a tragedy for the family of course, but it was also a tragedy for the officer, who did not want to use deadly force but was forced to," Capri says.
For video of the DBPD press conference, click
here and
here.
Earlier Reporting:
An officer-involved shooting is now under investigation by Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) after a Daytona Beach police officer shot at an armed, suicidal 23-year-old man in Daytona Beach.
Police reported to a home in the 500 block of Bellevue Ave. in Daytona at around 12 PM Tuesday after reports of a suicidal person. When they arrived, police found a 23-year-old man with a gun in his hand and his sister pleading with him not to pull the trigger. The man pointed the gun at an officer, and the officer opened fire. The man fell to the ground and died on scene. The woman was unharmed.
Police said that the man is thought to suffer from mental illness and that he was threatening to shoot himself.
DBPD also says the officer will be put on paid administrative leave while the incident is being investigated, which is standard procedure. The man's firearm has been recovered from the scene.
The Police Department reviewed body camera footage of the shooting, which is still under investigation, and the name of the officer has not yet been released.
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.
