VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Body camera and helicopter videos released Thursday shed light on the moments before a fatal deputy-involved shooting in Volusia County earlier this week.
The incident began Tuesday afternoon when DeLand officers pulled over Gregory Howe because he wasn’t wearing a seat belt and quickly discovered his license was suspended, according to the footage.
The video shows officers asking him why he was reaching inside his white GMC truck, which Howe denied doing.
Less than two minutes into the encounter, Howe goes quiet and stops answering the officer’s questions.
The two officers on scene describe Howe as a possible signal 20, a police code used for mentally disturbed suspects.
As an officer tells Howe that his license is suspended and he needs someone to come get his truck, the suspect takes off, driving over a concrete parking bumper, through a grassy area and onto the adjacent road.
No pursuit was authorized but the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office helicopter unit did follow Howe’s truck as it traveled with the flow of traffic on busy streets as did other units on the ground.
Authorities said that came to an end when Howe pulled into the driveway of his home on Haversham Road.
According to the sheriff’s office, Howe is believed to have leveled a Kel-Tec KSG tactical shotgun at deputies and fired once. Officials said in a news release that the loaded shotgun was found in the truck and a single round had been discharged from it.
Records show four deputies fired their weapons 82 times in 10 seconds. Howe was struck multiple times and died as a result of his injuries, according to authorities.
No law enforcement officers were injured.
The footage shows deputies firing at Howe as he’s outside his truck up until he falls to the ground motionless and a cease fire command is called.
News 6 has chosen not to publish the portions of the video that show Howe being struck.
The deputies who used their weapons have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.