A chilling video has been released by a Florida police department and shows the moment a sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a gunman after a fight that killed the man’s brother.
The incident occurred at 12:30PM. Saturday, August 6, outside the Heritage Hotel in Orlando and saw two brothers' lives taken away.
According to the department, the victim, Dylan Jimenez, 21, and his brother, Bryan Matthew Richardson, had been involved in an altercation with another man before they arrived.
The confrontation left Jimenez bleeding out in a car at a hotel parking lot, which caused his 28-year-old brother to dash to the scene.
Read the department's statement below:In the aftermath of the bloody incident, law enforcement arrived and onlookers crowded the dying man. Richardson was standing next to him, clearly distraught.
However, the bodycam footage shows spectators informing the deputy that the older brother, who was standing nearby, has a handgun by his side.
After noticing an armed Richardson, the officer draws his firearm and points it at him while his female partner attempts to take the gun away from him.
The bodycam footage seems to display the armed man complying by giving up the gun to the cop with his other arm up towards the deputy as if to say "Don't shoot" - but despite this, he is, unfortunately, shot eight times by the officer.
Both brothers were pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital and the incident saw the deputy placed on temporary administrative lead pending an investigation.
Watch Wesh 2 News' coverage of the story:The release of the disturbing footage comes as the department investigates whether the officer involved was in the right for using his weapon.
John Mina, the Orange County Sheriff, issued a statement on the footage on Friday (August 26), stating that Richardson had been shot due to his refusal to drop the firearm.
"Deputies directed that man - later identified as Bryan Richardson - to drop the gun," Mina said in a clip that accompanied the crime footage. "When he did not comply, one deputy fired his weapon."
The officer said of the brief clip: "We think it's important for members of our community to view the entirety of what is released - rather than rely on short snippets in the media."
The department added that an inquiry into the incident and the deputy's actions is continuing.
