Deputies open fire on man as he records incident for Instagram

Laforest Duron Gray Jr. booked into jail

WINDERMERE, Fla. – Three deputies opened fire on a man who was involved in a domestic violence situation Wednesday night, and the man recorded his confrontation with authorities on his Instagram account, investigators said.

In the Instagram video, listeners can clearly hear the distinct sound of gunfire.

No one was shot, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said in a late-night news conference.

The suspect, ​Laforest Duron Gray Jr., 23, who was bitten by a K-9, was taken to a hospital before he was booked into jail, Mina said. 

Nicky Zizaza/WKMG photo

Gray was arrested on several charges, including domestic battery and four counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm of a law enforcement officer.

The incident started at 7:55 p.m. at the Citra at Windermere apartments on Citra Circle, when authorities received a call about a physical fight in which a man was beating a woman and dragging her into the road by her hair, according to a news release from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies arrived at a garage within the apartment complex and tried to get Gray to come out, but he wouldn’t comply, Mina said.

Gray, who was armed with a gun, then barricaded himself behind a car inside the open garage, Mina said.

Gray refused to exit and wouldn’t show deputies his hands or comply with any verbal commands, the news release said. Deputies then opened fire, officials said. It's unclear whether Gray fired a gun, investigators said, adding that a firearm was recovered at the scene.

When Gray emerged from the garage, he resisted arrest but was eventually taken into custody.

No deputies were injured.

Authorities are now reviewing the video that Gray recorded for Instagram.

Residents who live in that area of Windermere expressed their frustration over not being able to access their homes. Several roads were closed, and parts of the area were blocked with crime scene tape.

"I tried to come home from work and I was told I couldn't enter, and after they weren't giving me much information ... they told me there was an active shooter in the area and I needed to leave immediately," apartment complex resident Laura Frohbergh said. "Oh, (it was) very scary.”

One woman told News 6 in a phone call that she barricaded herself in her own apartment with the furniture in front of her apartment door.

She said she listened to the sheriff’s helicopter circling outside, and for the better part of an hour, she heard screaming off and on coming from her parking lot.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit is investigating the deputy-involved shooting, as is common procedure when no one is hit by gunfire.

Watch News 6 and stay with ClickOrlando.com for updates.

 


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