PLANTATION, Fla. – A South Florida family was left heartbroken after their loved one was fatally shot Saturday afternoon by a police officer.
The family told Local 10 News that they are still waiting for answers.
Video provided to Local 10 News by bystanders shows a Plantation police officer doing chest compressions on Homea “Tony” Spence.
Police confirmed that an officer fatally shot Spence around 3:22 p.m. Saturday at the Plantation Inn Hotel and Lounge near Northwest 40th Avenue and Third Street.
“He was just on Facebook with me three hours ago,” a family member said. “And they won’t tell us nothing. Nothing at all.”
Spence’s family was distraught as they gathered outside the hotel, pleading for information from officials.
“Why couldn’t they use a taser? Why did they have to use excessive force to kill my cousin?” a family member asked.
According to Spence’s family, the man in his 40s had mental health problems and had recently completed a program under the Baker Act to deal with those issues.
“He just came home from a program working hard to get his life back on track,” said a family member. “He was a nice person, he did everything right, he cared about family.”
Spence leaves behind a wife and two children.
In the past, family members said he had worked in sanitation with the City of Fort Lauderdale.
“We want to know what happened,” said a family member. “He just got out of a program and he wasn’t causing no problems, so we want to know who was up there with him, what escalated to this issue.”
Plantation police confirmed that the incident was a shooting involving an officer, but they did not provide any further information.