WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. – Winter Springs Police say they took a suspect into custody less than a minute after three of their officers heard shots being fired towards them.
News 6 obtained body camera video that shows officers searching for 20-year-old Devin Williams overnight near State Road 434 and Highway 419. Multiple officers can be heard in the video mentioning that they heard the gunfire. One even states that he heard a bullet “whiz” by.
According to the department, the officers were eating dinner outside of their patrol cars, while parked at The Church at 434 after midnight, when they heard five shots. They caught up to Williams near Consolidated Services and began to question him about the events of the evening.
The body camera video shows an officer telling Williams, “We were on the other side of those woods there, man.”
“Oooh,” he replies. “Yeah, you try to shoot us?” the officer asks.
An arrest report for Williams says he denied the allegations at first but later admitted he saw the officers parked at the church and wanted to get their attention.
The report also states Williams told the officer he was a little drunk.
“He said he’s a little drunk,” an officer states in the body camera video.
Police searched Williams and discovered a Glock 43 handgun tucked in his pants, the weapon they believe he fired that night. They also looked through his backpack and said they found various tools, ammunition, a bottle of port wine, and another firearm.
The arrest report says investigators believe Williams had to tools because he “intended to break into different properties.” They also checked the serial number from the second firearm and discovered it was stolen during a vehicle burglary in Orlando in June.
Winter Springs Police Chief Matt Tracht released the following statement about the incident:
“There are several times throughout a career when you have to question humanity. This was one of those incidents. Our officers performed flawlessly and took this individual into custody within a minute of the shooting. We recovered two guns, one of which was stolen from Orlando. This individual did succeed in getting our attention and will hopefully spend a long time incarcerated.”
Williams was arrested on the following charges:
- 3 counts - aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer
- 1 count - use of a firearm under the influence
- 1 count - grand theft of a firearm
- 1 count - liquor-possession by a person under 21
- 1 count - unlawful carry of a concealed firearm
- 1 count - firing a weapon in public or on residential property
- 1 count - possession of burglary tools with intent
However, at a first appearance hearing that our News 6 crew attended on Wednesday afternoon at the jail, a judge said he did not find probable cause for the 3 counts of aggravated assault.
A prosecutor told the judge all she could argue were the facts included in the arrest report.
“I did see, though, that the law enforcement officers indicated they were in fear as a result of the shots, and that also the defendant said that he fired some shots to get law enforcement’s attention,” she stated.
A public defender representing Williams said, “There was no presenting of the firearm or threat directly with the law enforcement officers. All that I read is that they heard some shots.”
Williams was given a bond totaling $10,000 for the other charges. If he is released from jail, a judge ordered that he wear a GPS monitor. He is also not allowed to possess any firearms, ammunition, or alcohol.