Deputy kills drunk driving suspect who fled, tried to fight

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Updated 6:29 pm, Sunday, May 21, 2017


KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — A sheriff's deputy fatally shot a drunk driving suspect who allegedly fled a traffic stop and tried to fight him in central Florida.

Osceola County Sheriff's officials say a deputy responded to the Florida Turnpike on Saturday night after reports of a possible drunk driver. He stopped the vehicle, but authorities say 37-year-old Carlos Garcia Petrovich was not cooperative and fled. The deputy caught up with Petrovich at a gas station and tried to place him under arrest. Authorities say Petrovich fled on foot and became violent.

According to a news release, the deputy shot Petrovich who was pronounced dead at the scene. The deputy was not identified.

The deputy was treated at a local hospital and later released. State law enforcement officials are investigating.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Deputy-kills-drunk-driving-suspect-who-fled-11162648.php

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(Short article, no more at link.)

Deputy bitten in scuffle with driver before shooting, killing him
Ryan Gillespie and Ryan GillespieContact Reporters
Orlando Sentinel





Deputy bitten in scuffle with driver before shooting, killing him

Ryan Gillespie and Ryan GillespieContact Reporters
Orlando Sentinel


The Osceola County sheriff says he believes his deputy was justified in fatally shooting a man Sunday during a scuffle after a failed traffic stop.

A driver along Florida’s Turnpike saw a man driving erratically about 11 p.m. Saturday near mile marker 196 and called
authorities, Sheriff Russ Gibson said at a press conference Sunday afternoon.

Deputy John Stubbs, a two-year veteran of the agency, stopped the driver, Carlos Garcia Petrovich, but he was “not cooperative” and fled, Gibson said.

Since it was a traffic infraction, Stubbs couldn’t chase after Petrovich, Gibson said.

More:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-osceola-deputy-shoots-suspect-who-fled-20170521-story.html

[C Moon]

1. I wonder why they don't shoot them in the legs or the butt.

I'm not a gun person, so I assume the legs are more difficult to shoot at.
But yeah, biting someone is pretty nasty.

[Warpy]

2. Torso is the largest target, less chance of a shot going wild

and hitting a bystander and the whole idea of using deadly force is to stop a dangerous person immediately.

This guy sounds more than just drunk.

[mark fromelko]

3. Like the cops give a shit

[gilbert sullivan]

6. As opposed to the drunk driver

who was endangering many people?

[C Moon]

4. I snooped around on FB. He looked to be a drug dealer or more.

[bluedigger]

7. Once they closed to hand to hand it was the only way, other than disengaging.

You can't aim at someone's extremities in a scuffle.

[Lurks Often]

5. Shooting to wound is against the law in most states.

The legal argument comes down to this: If you are in fear of death or grave bodily harm, you shoot to stop the attacker, which means shooting them in the torso. Depending on what the bullet hits and how quickly medical treatment is received, sometimes the attacker dies and sometimes they don't.

If you are NOT in fear of death or grave bodily harm, that you should not being shooting the person and as already stated, is usually illegal depending on your state law.

Also keep in mind that any miss could result in an innocent bystander being hurt and could potentially result in both a lawsuit and even criminal charges against the person who fired the weapon.

None of the above is meant to suggest the police officer was or was not correct in this case since there isn't enough information from the link.

[Sancho]

8. There is a lot of traffic there on Saturday evenings...

...driving erratically may be the truth, but it may also be an excuse for profiling. They do that down here...if you fit the bill for drug dealer or whatever by race, type of car, etc...they stop you because of erratic driving or failing to signal or something stupid.
That's especially true on the FL turnpike, I95, and I75.