A 29-year-old man was killed early Saturday morning after he reportedly opened fire on Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies who were attempting to serve warrants at his home on Alabama Street in Crestview, near Richburg Middle School, Sheriff Eric Aden said.
- Deputies with the OCSO Special Response Team arrived around 5 a.m. to serve a search warrant, an arrest warrant and a risk protection order on the man, who Aden said had a previous risk protection order and had displayed a pattern of escalating behavior in recent weeks.
“In recent weeks…he’s come outside armed with a high-powered rifle. He has even displayed the firearm. He’s even actually fired off some rounds, which resulted in violation of the statute,” Aden said.
The man had active warrants for discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school and discharging a firearm in a residential neighborhood, according to the OCSO.
“We’re certainly a pro-Second Amendment community, and we want to protect people’s rights, but there’s also state statutes and the concern of this community and the welfare,” Aden said.
Aden said the timing of the operation was driven in part by the approaching start of the school year.
- “With school starting next week, this guy was continuing to display some very concerning behavior, some violent behaviors that resulted in violations of statutes,” Aden said.
Despite attempts to convince the man to surrender peacefully, he fired multiple rounds at deputies, striking several law enforcement assets and nearby properties, including the school and another home in the area, according to the sheriff’s office. No deputies, officers or community members were injured.
“We never fired the first shot. We were able to neutralize him with these SWAT tactics, and once we rendered the individual safe and removed the weapon, we began trying to render life-saving measures to him,” Aden said. “Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries despite our best efforts.”
The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
“At the end of the day, he chose to arm himself and fire on our officers, and when you do that, you’re gonna end up dead, and this is exactly what happened here,” Aden said.
Aden expressed appreciation to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for providing a Special Response Team asset to assist OCSO deputies during the operation.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will conduct an independent investigation into the incident at the request of the OCSO. The sheriff’s office said no further details will be released while that investigation is ongoing.
The OCSO did not release the man’s name.
