Dashcam video shows Lake County deputy shooting driver

Deputy Richard Palmer faces federal charges of lying about what happened

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – New dashcam video shows the moment a Paisley woman was shot by a Lake County sheriff's deputy, as he faces allegations he lied to state investigators about what happened.

According to Lake County investigators, the video was shot early in the morning Oct. 16, 2016.

They said Deputy Richard Palmer spotted a car running a stop sign on Nancy Drive in Paisley. That is when Palmer is seen on video pulling her over.

The video shows the driver, 54-year-old Robin Pearson, getting out of her car with her hands up, and that is when she appeared to be shot by Palmer.

Investigators said she survived.

In 2016, the Lake County Sheriff's Office told News 6: "Pearson reached into her pocket and began removing an unknown item.  The deputy, in fear for his safety, shot Pearson." 

The video shows Pearson with her hands up, lowering them only slightly before she's shot.

The U.S. Department of Justice indicted Palmer on Aug. 21, claiming Palmer violated Pearson's civil liberties.

IT also claimed he lied to state investigators about what happened.

According to the indictment, "Palmer knowingly misled FDLE special agents...by saying that R.P.'s left hand was in her pocket, that (she) pulled her left hand out of her pocket, and that he saw a dark object in (her) left hand, when in truth... Palmer well knew (her) hands were out of her pockets and (she) had nothing in her hands."

A grand jury decided not to indict Palmer at the state level.

It's not known if the grand jurors saw the dashcam video or not.

Palmer resigned from the Lake County Sheriff's Office when he was indicted last month.

He found out Friday that he will likely face a federal trial in February of next year.
 

 


About the Author:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.