Palm Bay dispatch recordings capture road rage shooting

Off-duty Brevard deputy says he shot man in self-defense

PALM BAY, Fla. – An off-duty Brevard County sheriff's deputy is on administrative leave after his department said he shot and killed a man during a road rage incident.

It happened Sunday after 11 a.m. at the intersection of Emerson Drive and St. John's Heritage Parkway.

Thirty minutes of dispatch recordings detail the chaos as it unfolded in what typically is a quiet and remote corner of the city.

A dispatcher can first be heard saying, "Units stand by, please, we're getting a possible shooting. Two men were chasing him. Sounds like road rage."

The recordings continue, saying a bullet hit Clarence Howard in the chest.

"He got out of the car and started chasing him and he had to shoot him. (The bullet) appears to be in his lung."

Howard, 25, was found lying in the intersection.

CPR efforts to save his life began immediately.

"The patient just coded again," you can hear on the dispatch recordings as Howard is on the way to a hospital. Howard died minutes later at the hospital.

Howard's years as an adult were all troubling. His criminal record started in 2010. It included battery, possessing hard drugs and child pornography.

The sheriff said last year investigators busted him with more than 2,900 child pornography files.

Sheriff's Deputy Yousef Hafza has been with the BCSO since November. He served previously with the Palm Bay Police Department.

The sheriff said Sunday Hafza called 911.

Dispatch recordings show a second person calling 911. That person identified himself as Howard's brother-in-law. The sheriff said that person was a passenger in Howard's car and is the only witness to the shooting, other than the deputy.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is leading the investigation.

The FDLE did not provide News 6 an update Monday.


About the Author:

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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