DELTONA, Fla. – Volusia County Deputy Jose Rivera knocked on the window of a Deltona home and adjusted his body-worn camera. He and his partner had just tried to speak to a man at the door when he ran back into the house.
The next moment, Rivera was shot.
These moments are detailed in a newly released video from Rivera’s own bodycam. WARNING: Video may be disturbing.
Luis Diaz Polanco is facing charges of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer for the March 2 shooting.
“There is no doubt in my mind he had every intention when those deputies knocked on that door to kill them,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood told News 6.
[WATCH: Volusia deputy shooting suspect’s confession shows mental state, events leading to attack]
Rivera and a trainee working with him arrived at Polanco’s home to question him about a vandalism call earlier in the day. In transcripts obtained by News 6 Polanco told deputies that his day had started badly and he had gotten the gun to threaten a friend of his mother’s that he had argued with. He also was not taking his medication for schizophrenia.
“We did have information that he was violent and that information was from his mother, that ‘Hey I don’t know what happened but he’s violent and sometimes he doesn’t take his meds,’ and that’s what gets us to that address,” Chitwood said.
Rivera’s bodycam shows the moment the gunman steps out of the house and fires.
Rivera turns around to run and says, “oh sh**, no!” Then the video ends.
Originally, it was believed Rivera was shot twice, with one bullet ricocheting off his bodycam and hitting him in the shoulder. Now it’s believed he was hit three times -- in the body camera, in the arm, and in the thigh.
[WATCH: Bodycam takes direct hit as Volusia deputy is shot twice during battery investigation, sheriff says]
Rivera is recovering from the incident. He had some complications that required a second trip to the hospital in March, but the sheriff’s office said he was OK.
Polanco has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He is scheduled to return to court next month.
“We all know what happened,” Chitwood said. “Now obviously it goes into a courtroom, which is different than out here, but we know what happened and we’re pretty confident the facts are so strong here that we know where this is going.”