OAKLAND PARK, Fla. – A swarm of Broward County sheriff’s deputies surrounded Northeast Sixth Avenue and East Oakland Park Boulevard Sunday night following reports of a “suspicious person.”
“This guy was wielding a knife. The blade was about 6 inches,” Andrew Wilkinson, who called 911, said.
Wilkinson told Local 10 News that he called law enforcement after an encounter with the man.
“He was stabbing at the car going by and he was screaming,” Wilkinson said. “I said, ‘Something’s not right.’”
Just prior to that, the man was allegedly demanding free food from a nearby Checkers.
“He left and went across the street where the man was at and pulled out a knife on him and threatened to cut him up,” Monica Lewis, who works nearby, said.
Photos show the man outside of an Advanced Auto Parts. In the photos, you can see the man holding something as deputies arrived around 5:50 p.m.
“Deputies made several commands for that individual to drop his weapon, however, he refused,” BSO spokeswoman Gerdy St. Louis said. “Multiple less than lethal weapons were deployed in an attempt to subdue that individual.”
A nearby worker said that’s when things escalated.
“He’s running towards the police. As he’s running, they shot at him and he fell,” Lewis said.
Cellphone video shows the man on the ground after being shot and deputies performing CPR on him.
He was then transported by Oakland Park Fire Rescue to a nearby hospital. His condition has not been released.
BSO has not confirmed what type of weapon the suspect had, nor how many deputies fired their weapons.
Detectives have also not stated whether the suspect suffers from any mental illness.
The deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, per standard protocol.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting. BSO’s Internal Affairs Unit will also conduct an internal investigation.