By Cristóbal Reyes
Orlando Sentinel
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday released snippets of body-camera video of what led to a man being shot dead last month by deputies responding to a suicide threat at a south Orlando hotel.
The man was identified as 42-year-old Richard Green, whose girlfriend on Sept. 21 called 911 to report he was carrying a knife and threatening to kill himself. Deputies at the scene moved the woman, whose name has not been released, out of the room and spoke to Green as he stood near the open doorway.
“Don’t hurt him. Please don’t do this,” she pleaded as deputies aimed their guns at the room. For 20 minutes, deputies urged him to come outside and tried assuring Green they wanted to help him.
“Richard, please, I’m begging you,” one deputy said to Green, who at this point moved to sit on the couch. “Richard, please, drop the knife, man. Just come out and talk to us.”
Moments later, the footage showed, Green sprinted out of the room, screaming while holding the knife over his head before six deputies sent a hail of gunfire toward him. Green was pronounced dead at a hospital. No other injuries were reported.
The video mirrors what was relayed to news outlets by Sheriff John Mina shortly after the shooting took place.
It’s currently under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement , which will submit its findings to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office before its taken before a grand jury.
The grand jury will then decide whether to charge deputies and possibly recommend policy changes as part of a practice implemented by State Attorney Andrew Bain. The Sheriff’s Office said it will investigate internally once FDLE’s review is completed.
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