An Orange County deputy sheriff shot eight rounds from close range at a man holding a gun pointed at the ground and his other arm outstretched with his palm facing out, body-worn camera footage released Friday showed.
The shots were fired after Bryan Richardson didn’t immediately comply with deputies’ demands to drop the gun.
Attorney Mark NeJame, who is representing Ada Blaker, the mother of Richardson and his brother Dylan Jimenez, said he is investigating if Richardson’s killing was avoidable.
“Ada Blaker, having lost both her children right before her eyes, is in mourning with family and it is not likely that she will ever recover from this tragedy,” NeJame said in a statement. “She, her family, and the public deserves the truth to be brought to light.”
Deputies were responding to a shooting just outside Heritage Hotel at 7900 South Orange Blossom Trail around 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 6. The video showed two deputies arrived to find Richardson standing near the collapsed body of his brother Dylan Jimenez.
As bystanders were giving aid, Richardson stood nearby while holding a gun in his left hand that was pointed at the ground, the video showed.
Deputies began working on Jimenez when someone said, “He has a gun, in his hand, pointing at people!” The deputies immediately faced Richardson with one grabbing for the gun while the other pulled out his gun and yelled, “Drop it. Drop it. Drop the gun.”
While not dropping the gun and raising his other hand, Richardson told the deputies “that’s my brother.”
The deputy then fired eight shots in rapid succession at point blank range, the video showed. Richardson never pointed the gun at deputies, according to the video.
In a statement after the incident, OCSO said Jimenez had a fight with a third man outside the hotel and the two men shot each other. The third man involved in the initial shooting is expected to survive. OCSO has so far refused to release his name.
The Sheriff’s Office is also not releasing the deputy’s name, citing Marsy’s Law, which allows crime victims to shield their name and personal information from the public. He has been with OCSO since 2018 and will be on paid administrative leave until the preliminary investigation is over, according to a press release.
The shootout between Jimenez and the other man is still under investigation by OCSO. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting of Richardson by the deputy.
In his statement, NeJame said multiple witnesses claim the deputy who killed Richardson knew he had the gun.
“[Richardson] was standing next to his fallen brother with a firearm in hand as he was providing protection to the deputy,” NeJame said. “... The deputy and others at the scene were still potentially at risk from the still at-large shooter.”
Source: Orlando Sentinel
