VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Authorities in Florida say a man was fatally shot after he charged at a deputy with a sword yelling, “Shoot me!”
The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office said deputies deployed four taser cartridges and four beanbag rounds Friday night, but it didn’t have any effect on 29-year-old Michael Kifer.
Deputies were making their third call to the home of Kifer, who they say appeared to be intoxicated or on drugs, to investigate threats he had made to another person. That’s when the situation escalated.
Sheriff Deryl Loar said in a statement Saturday that Kifer apparently wanted to be killed by law enforcement and he forced deputies’ hands, requiring them to take action.
The deputy who shot Kifer has been put on paid administrative leave.
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