By Police1 Staff
ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies in Florida were cleared in the shooting a man who shot at the officers and later claimed that he was attempting to kill himself.
The Pensacola New Journal reports that the suspect, 26-year-old Demetric Denario Carter, walked into a bank on Oct. 27 and reportedly told a teller “I just need you to call police. I don’t want to take it out on y’all.” Carter then walked out of the bank before Escambia County Deputies Pat Roberts, Crista Pope and Ronald Busbee responded.
Roberts was the first one to arrive on scene and reported that he saw a gun hidden in Carter’s waistband. After Carter failed to comply with the officer’s commands to drop the gun and get on his knees, Roberts deployed his TASER.
Carter then grabbed his gun and began firing at Roberts and the other responding deputies. Roberts and Pope returned fire, striking and wounding Carter.
After the shooting, Carter allegedly told authorities that he was attempting to kill himself. But in a later interview, the suspect claimed that he found the gun and went to the bank to call a security guard and turn the weapon in. He also said he didn’t fire the gun and isn’t sure why deputies fired at him.
The state found the deputies justified in their use of force and said Carter was “actively defiant” against the deputies’ orders.
Carter currently faces three counts of attempted murder.