OSTEEN, Fla. – An armed suspect was shot and killed over the weekdn by a Volusia County deputy after the man pointed a gun at the two deputies, then refused to put it down, officials said.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office on Monday identified the man as Jeffrey Sims, 59, Altamonte Springs.
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The shooting occurred shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday in the 1400 block of north State Road 415 in Osteen.
The deputies came upon what appeared to be an abandoned two-door passenger car on the side of the road, according to Sheriff's Office personnel.
When the deputies approached the car, they saw a man sitting in the driver's seat and a handgun within his reach in the back seat, authorities said.
According to a Sheriff's Office news release, with one deputy on each side of the car, they instructed the suspect to remain still and not to reach for the gun. The suspect then took off his shirt and draped it over the driver's side window in an apparent attempt to obstruct the deputies' view, officials said.
Deputies said that the shirt fell off the window and the man was in the back seat holding the gun. When he refused to put it down, Deputy Miguel Kent opened fire and struck the man, the Sheriff's Office said. Officials said Kent feared the man was about to shoot.
The man, later identified as Sims, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating, which is standard procedure. Kent has been placed on temporary leave with pay, also standard procedure. Kent has been with the Sheriff's Office since October 2003.