‘It’s very sad:’ Nassau man shot and killed after he pointed a gun at deputies
Nassau County Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a man who pointed a gun at them at Green Pine Cemetery Thursday morning.
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Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said deputies opened fire only after they feared for their lives.
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“We want to make sure that we resolve it peacefully. That’s our ultimate goal, but if we can’t, we want to make sure our deputies are not injured and go home to their families at the end of their shift,” Leeper said.
Leeper said the initial call came in a little after 9 AM from a person reporting an individual at Green Pine Cemetery who appeared to be in distress.
The first deputy on scene attempted to talk with the man.
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Leeper said when he pulled out a gun and pointed it at his head, three more deputies responded.
The sheriff’s office believes the man had some connection with the grave site where deputies found him.
Tragically, deputies’ efforts to talk the man down were unsuccessful.
Leeper said three of the deputies opened fire after the man pointed the gun towards them.
Jason Rogero, who lives nearby, heard the shots ring out.
“Looked like a lot of hollering and could hear sirens coming like right after that,” Rogero said.
Leeper said deputies attempted to render emergency aid, but the man died at the scene.
FDLE is investigating the shooting.
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Leeper noted the four deputies will be put on paid administrative lead for a few days, until they’re cleared to return to the field.
“It’s very sad. It’s not something that deputies wanted to do, but it just shows the dangers that anytime we respond to a situation, whether it’s a traffic stop or a situation like this. You never know what’s going to occur,” Leeper said.
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