An Orange County sheriff’s deputy is on paid leave after accidentally shooting a man who called 911 to report a home invasion.
The shooting happened just after 3 p.m. on Saturday at a home on Sheringham Road in the Pine Hills neighborhood of Orlando. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the homeowner told dispatchers that four people tried to break into his house. He fired shots at them, and the suspects ran off.
When deputies arrived at the scene, the homeowner was unlocking his door to let them in. That’s when one of the deputies’ guns went off, hitting the man—who had just called for help.
The sheriff’s office has not named the deputy or the victim, but neighbors identified the man as Marcus. He was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening and was released later that night, ClickOrlando reports.
Local residents are angry and shaken.
“It seems like they shoot first and ask questions later,” said neighbor Terrie Frazier. “Kind of makes people not want to call the police if something is going on because you may not know what will happen to you.”
Frazier said the incident makes her think twice about calling for help. “It’s got me where if something was going on, I’m like should I call the cops or should I not? You know. Because I may wind up getting hurt or shot.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating. The deputy who fired the shot is on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure.
Meanwhile, the four suspects from the attempted home invasion are still on the run.
Watch the report below from WKMG News 6:
