BOCA RATON, FLA. (WSVN) - An investigation is underway in Boca Raton after, officials said, an officer was forced to fire their weapon, leaving one person dead.
The incident happened in the area of Northwest Second Avenue, just steps from the Boca Raton Police Department, Wednesday morning.
7Skyforce hovered above the scene as Boca Raton Police officers blocked the area.
A 7News source said there was a man on the roadway, and he was harassing motorists.
Boca Raton Police said, when they started receiving calls from drivers about the man, an officer approached the man, and the man lunged toward the officer.
“Shortly before 11:30 a.m. this morning, one of our officers encountered an individual along Northwest Second Avenue, between Northwest Second Street and Palmetto,” said Boca Raton Police Officer Jessica Desir. “At some point during the encounter, the officer fired his weapon. We can confirm that one male is deceased, and we are working to identify that individual. Thankfully, the officer is OK.”
It remains unclear what led up to the shooting or whether the subject was armed.
A male witness who did not want to be identified spoke to 7News on Wednesday. He said it looked like the officer was trying to avoid a confrontation.
The witness said that when he first saw the officer and the man, the officer was following the man through the parking lot nearby as the officer tried to get the man to stop.
“The police was behind him, with the Taser, saying commands to stop, and the person was not actually abiding. He didn’t want to actually stop,” said the witness.
He said the officer and the man moved to the sidewalk as the officer continued trying to de-escalate the situation.
“‘Hey, stop! I’m going to Tase you, I’m going to Tase you, stop, get on the ground, get your hands in the back! I’m going to Tase you.’ That was the strong words from the cop, but [the man] didn’t want to listen,” the witness described.
That is when the officer tased the man, said the witness, and it seemed to have no effect on the man.
“This guy was like walking like normal, nothing, it’s like, trying to take them out and continue walking,” he said.
The officer tased the man again to no avail, says the witness. That is when, the witness said, the man appeared to rush toward the officer.
“He charged at him, just went at it, completely, and that’s when he pulled out the gun and shot him three times,” said the witness. “I mean, I could tell the cop didn’t want to actually shoot.”
Witnesses described what they heard.
“I heard three shots, clearly. I use a gun, so I heard three shots, it was a quick ‘pop, pop pop,'” said Jimmy Cipolla. “I just heard gunshots, and within a second, my sister was sitting there. A news alert came up, and she said there was a shooting at the police station.”
Others who walked by the scene were shocked to see the police presence and the road blocked.
“I just saw the police presence and the tape. It’s kind of strange to have a body with a shooting, right?” said Dan Baron.
Following the shooting, the officer re-entered the police department a little shaken up, but he is doing OK.
As of late Wednesday night, the deceased man identity has not be disclosed.
The officer will be placed on leave until the investigation is complete.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation, which is standard whenever there is a police-involved shooting.
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