Polk County Sheriffs Office Press Release
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a deputy-involved shooting in Haines City this evening. No deputies were injured. Preliminary information so far is as follows:
Just before 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 15, 2019, the PCSO Emergency Communications Center (ECC) received a 911 call from a man who was driving down Carl Boozer Road (nearest cross street Powerline Road) when he observed a mini-van pulled off to the side of the road with two women in the two front seats, fighting and screaming. He heard the victim, who was in the driver’s seat, scream that the other woman, who was in the passenger seat, was going to shoot her. The witness fled and dialed 911.
PCSO deputies and Haines City PD officers immediately headed to the scene. The first deputy to arrive on-scene observed the fight occurring in the van with the victim screaming for help, and the suspect continually refused to obey his verbal commands to stop and show him her hands. The victim continued to scream that the suspect was going to shoot her. The suspect then ducked down and came back up and, in fear for the victim’s life and his own, when she reappeared the deputy fired at the suspect, striking her more than once.
The deputy and other responding units immediately rendered aid to the suspect, and she was transported to a nearby hospital. She is being treated for gunshot wounds, which do not appear to be life-threatening. The victim has injuries consistent with being battered. Nobody else was injured.
The suspect and the victim are mother and daughter, both adults.
PCSO is finishing up processing the scene, and the van has been towed to our Crime Scene warehouse to be processed. A photo from the scene is attached. We will send out more detailed information on Sunday, June 16, 2019.
The deputy sheriff will be on paid administrative leave per standard protocol. He has been a deputy for two years and is currently assigned to the Northeast District, in patrol. There are three ongoing investigations: An investigation into the battery domestic violence and aggravated assault, by the PCSO Bureau of Criminal Investigations; an internal investigation of the shooting, by the PCSO Administrative Investigations Unit; and a review by the State Attorney’s Office, who was on-scene and will review the PCSO investigations once they are completed.
