DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A woman is dead after Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a suspicious person armed with knives in Deerfield Beach and were forced to fire.
Deputies said they received a call about a woman carrying large knives outside a Walgreens near South Federal Highway and Southeast 10th Street just before 7:00 p.m.
It’s unclear what was said between deputies and the woman or if the woman was threatening anyone with the knives, but a spokeswoman for BSO said at least one deputy fired their weapon, killing the woman.
“The police unit that’s out with the female can you advise?” was heard over the Broadcastify police scanner.
“Shot fired. Shots fired,” an officer responded.
Next to the woman’s body was a shopping cart filled with belongings, but it’s not confirmed that the cart belong to her.
“Investigators as you can see here behind me are still processing the scene, are still looking over the entire scene; everything that they can find, talking to witnesses, looking at video, doing the best they can to get all the details as quickly as they can,” said Miranda Grossman, with BSO.
Witnesses described the scene.
“A lady was stabbing a bag with a long knife and I think she went after the police and that’s when I think they killed her,” one man said outside the Walgreens.
“I was coming down the stairs and I heard what sounded like gunshots and then I heard the cop cars just passing by very fast,” Rachel Abreu, who heard the gunshots, said. “It was the shooting and then the cop cars were right there, so I’m guessing, maybe they were already going after the person, because it was the shotguns and then I saw the cops, I heard the cop cars going right instantly.”
Tuesday, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement added more details to the incident.
While officials have not identified the woman, they said she was 60-years-old.
FDLE investigators said when BSO deputies arrived, they found the woman holding two large knives, approximately 18 inches long.
When a deputy approached the woman, the report said she made a move towards the deputy, swinging a knife overhead in an aggressive manner. The deputy attempted to deescalate the situation, asking her to drop weapons, but she refused and continued moving towards the deputy when he fired at her.
Additional deputies arrived shortly after to perform CPR until BSFR arrived, however the woman died at the scene.
As per BSO policy, the deputy who fired his weapon has been placed on administrative assignment pending further investigation.
The circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation with FDLE acting as the lead investigating agency.
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