Watch: Man Kicks, Drags Florida Police Officer Before Being Fatally Shot
Security and body camera footage released Friday showed a man kicking and dragging a Florida deputy by his leg before being fatally shot.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office released additional surveillance video and the officers’ body camera recordings showed a stand-off between 42-year-old Jean Pierre and two police officers from the department.
Body camera footage showed deputy Sean Youngward, who engaged in physical confrontation with Pierre, responding to a disturbance Wednesday at a Lauderdale Lakes apartment in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, CBS Miami reported. The sheriff's deputy is seen running into Pierre, following which the duo gets into a fight.
“Don’t point at me, man. Step back,” Youngward was heard saying, to which Pierre responded: “Step back for who?”
The deputy was seen running from the apartment into the courtyard, with Pierre after him. Youngward then tried to use a Taser to subdue Pierre, with no success.
“Back down, man,” Youngward said, while retreating from Pierre. “What is wrong with you? Stand down!”
A surveillance video then showed Pierre striking the deputy and kicking him as the officer tried to use a baton to defend himself.
“Settle down!” Youngward was heard shouting. “Tell me what is wrong!”
Pierre then grabbed hold of his foot while he demanded to be let go of. A second deputy, Steven Briggs, arrived at the scene and ordered Pierre to let go of Youngward.
Pierre let go of Youngward’s leg and charged at Briggs before the deputy fired three shots at him and wounded him. Pierre was pronounced dead at a hospital, Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said at a press conference Friday, New York Daily News reported.
“It was a violent encounter,” the sheriff said and added Youngward was only trying to defend himself and was “overwhelmed by the superior size and strength” of Pierre.
Both officers were placed on administrative leave and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was called in to investigate the shooting.
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