‘It didn’t have to happen’: Charlotte County releases body camera footage of fatal deputy-involved shooting

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WWSB) – The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has released body camera footage of a deputy-involved shooting that left one man dead.

The 20-minute video shows the president’s deputies talking to 42-year-old Elroy Clarke at his home and using several de-escalation methods.

Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell held a news conference Friday to provide additional information about the incident. You can watch it Here.

According to Prummell, deputies responded to the residence shortly after noon Wednesday regarding a disturbance between Clarke, the property’s owner, and Troy Johnson, a guest at the property that Clarke wanted to leave.

Prummell said the suspects had a “sovereign ideology,” meaning they felt they did not have to follow the law or directions.

Upon arrival, deputies discovered that Clarke had a warrant for his arrest for failure to appear on a trespassing charge. When they tried to arrest him, he resisted. Prummell said it took about 20 minutes.

Deputies attempted to use a Taser and pepper spray several times, but were unsuccessful. At one point, three deputies “touched” him and he “threw them away like they were rag dolls,” Prummell said.

The deputy then pulled out a shotgun, which fires bean bag rounds, and appeared to fire at least two times, again to no avail.

“In my 33 years of career, I have never seen anything like this before,” Prummell said.

Clarke eventually attacked one of the deputies, who then fatally shot him.

Sheriff Prummell confirmed during Friday’s news conference that the deputy shot 14 times. The video shows other deputies trying to calm him down for several minutes later.

“This is a tragic event. None of us wanted this to happen. It is clear that the MPs did not want this to happen. And now, unfortunately, because of his decisions, there are children who have no father,” Prummell said.

The sheriff’s office is still waiting for a toxicology report from the medical examiner’s office.

ABC7 chooses not to share the camera footage because it contains graphic violence and vulgar language.