Escambia County Sheriff: Deputies felt threatened before shooting man in yard
Sheriff says suspect didn't obey deputies' orders
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan called the shooting by two deputies of an unarmed 60-year-old man outside a car in his own driveway early Saturday “a tragedy” and said it’s reasonable to ask how the call went “so horribly bad.”
Morgan said that one major reason was that Roy Middleton, whom he referred to as a suspect and a victim, did not immediately comply with officers’ instructions to put up his hands as they approached.
“If we rolled on the scene and Mr. Middleton had been compliant and Mr. Middleton had followed all directions of the law enforcement officers, I can give you with a 99.9 percent of assurance that this shooting would not have occurred,” the sheriff said. “But when an individual, a suspect, or victim in this case, is not compliant, then the officers react to that.”
Morgan’s statement contradicts what Middleton told the News Journal during an interview from his Baptist Hospital bed on Saturday. He’s recovering from a gunshot wound to his leg, was listed in good condition Monday and believes he may be released Wednesday.
He said he had been rummaging in his mother’s car for a cigarette but backed out of the car with his hands raised when the deputies came upon him. He said they immediately opened fire when he turned to face them.
“It was like a firing squad,” he said. “Bullets were flying everywhere.”
'Officer anxiety'
Until Morgan’s news conference Monday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Office had offered only a one-paragraph summary of what occurred around 2:40 a.m. at the home on Shadow Lawn Drive in Warrington.
Morgan called the news conference as the shooting garnered national attention. Thousands of comments have been posted on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Reddit, and many have lambasted the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Florida in general.
Morgan identified the officers who fired an estimated 15 rounds combined as Deputy Jeremiah Meeks, a second-year officer, and Sgt. Matthew White, a 15-year veteran and a field training officer. Deputy Wayne Charles Wright arrived as back-up but did not fire any shots.
