HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – A man holding a loaded rifle and wearing “military tactical gear” was shot and killed Wednesday morning by Hillsborough County deputies, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies were dispatched around 7:24 a.m. to the area of Windingwood Avenue and Providence Road in reference to a man “carrying a large assault rifle and dressed in military tactical gear‚” the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
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The man — identified as Vincent Tyler Morin, 34 — was located walking north on Providence Road toward the Causeway Boulevard intersection, the statement reads.
At 7:38 a.m., three deputies fired multiple shots at Morin after he allegedly ignored several commands to put the weapon down, the sheriff’s office said. Morin was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the statement.
The three deputies who shot at Morin have since been placed on paid administrative leave, the sheriff’s office said.
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office "DEPUTY-INVOLVED SHOOTING INVESTIGATION IN BRANDON" published April 23, 2025 (excerpt)
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer spoke at a news conference Wednesday.
“In light of the FSU shootings just recently, what could have happened here today?” Maurer said. “(...) You don’t dress in Army fatigues with a tac’ vest, with body armor, a fully-loaded assault rifle and coms on your head to do anything peaceful.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting, Maurer said.