Man armed with hedge trimmer shot by GPD officer after allegedly lunging at officers
Press release from Gainesville Police Department
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On the evening of June 1 at approximately 6:00 p.m., Officers of the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) were dispatched to a report of an armed disturbance in the area of 3400 NW 21st Place.
Prior to their arrival, Officers were informed that the 911 caller said they had been threatened by a subject with a chainsaw.
Upon arrival, Officers encountered a male subject who was armed with a hedge trimmer. Preliminary investigation indicates that the subject refused to comply with Officers’ commands. Several attempts to de-escalate the situation were unsuccessful. The subject lunged toward the Officers, forcing them to retreat. One Officer fired a service weapon, striking the subject multiple times.
The subject was transported to a local hospital, where he is receiving medical treatment. The subject, at the time of this news release, is in stable condition. The subject will be charged with aggravated assault of a Law Enforcement Officer. No officers were injured during the incident.
By policy, the Gainesville Police Department will turn the investigation of the officer-involved shooting over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
If the story is true as reported, that officer will be looking for another job.
A hedge trimmer isn’t a reason to shoot someone.
Hell, they had enough officers there to tackle the weed wack-a-doo; at the very least they could have sprayed some Round-up in his eyes.
Lets see, if it was a manual hedge grimmer, it could easily be used as a bayonet style weapon and kill someone. If it was a powered hedge trimmer that could inflict seroous damage if it hits soft tissue. Both weapons could inflict deadly injuries. But facts are hard for some folks to comprehend I guess.
Apparently using alternative actions are difficult for many to understand as well.
We all have vivid imaginations as to how a hedge trimmer could be utilized to impale Dracula or cut the head off zombies during the apocalypse though.
Let someone come at you with one and see who wins. My Money isn’t on you.
Great job officers
I don’t know what planet you’re from but trust me coming at someone with a hedge trimmer trying to hit them with it. It’s justification for shooting someone.
Was it battery operated and charged enough?
Let’s test your theory. I am friends with a social media influencer who has thousands of followers. If you make yourself known…post your real contact info..we will have you sign a waiver. We can discuss this shooting, then discuss your opinion, then film an attack on you with a hedge saw to see if it’s truly a deadly weapon. You MUST sign a waiver. If your injuries are minor, then you win. If they are Severe, then we can discuss that. Almost guaranteed to go viral.
What say you?
That is the most stupid statement to-date, next time you can go tackle a man with a weapon…. Any hard object can be used to hurt or killed a person.
Especially knuckleheads.
This response is very stupid as is the person. Who typed it. If you think about it for a second whether or not if the criminal had a wiffle ball bat a pool noodle or a sword the intent would all be the same to hurt or even try to kill someone I for one would have done the same thing this officer did you liberals are too soft on criminals go home and stay there.
Point made.
Why didn’t they taser him?
Ignorance speaks. I can make a weapon out of a pencil. Would you like me to prove it?
I saw that movie too.
No one is denying the opportunity or means of making a weapon out of anything. The issue is whether a less lethal means of force could have been utilized. The officer made a split second decision, the pending investigation will determine that.
Most of the Monday morning quarterbacks here make bold and brash statements about what they would do. My guess is many of them would have buck fever.
Until you wake up daily and put your life on the line to protect others while risking not going home yourself don’t judge la enforcement!
I’m driving & walking the streets of Gainesville, I am.
I mean, why were the police there? A hedge or even chainsaw. Dude, I support GPD 100%. This seems a little ridiculous.
They received a 911 call who reported the guy. #ibacktheblue
I saw the aftermath as I was driving down NW 34’th. Street. Given how there was a fire engine at the scene, it seems like the idiot who refused to de-escalate could have been hosed down with even less lethal force. But I must add that I didn’t see the exact particulars of the situation.
“I didn’t see the exact particulars of the situation.”
You should probably should refrain from commenting publicly when you don’t have all the facts. Furthermore, you’re making assumptions (that the fire truck was there at the time of the shooting) which is unproductive and this “my opinions have to be heard” posts are why we are so divided as a country.
It’s becoming more and more acceptable to race to the comment section to share our opinions (which, at this point, are assumptions). Waiting to be informed on topics before commenting seems to a thing of the past…. Good job.
Take it easy Patriot! At end of the day none of us were there! Ppl get wrongfully shot everyday in our great country. If the police are on the scene follow their request while using common sense! And things usually work out! And also in our great country we have the right NOT to comply! And some choose to risk the consequences! If you lunge at anyone in Florida with any type of weapon you have now put yourself in a situation to be shot!💥 Any shooting is a terrible thing. I pray for all parties involved no one lost their life🙏🏼
Everybody does that on comments sections, jackwagon. I just make myself transparent… If course I’m responding to you because I’m assuming that you’re a human being of at least below-average intelligence. (And are most likely incorrect to do so!)
I’m pretty sure the fire engine was there after the shooting. EMS personnel are not going to go into a scene that’s hostile.
They stopped hosing down people shortly after the civil rights movement in the 60”s. Wasn’t a good look…
The FD was probably hosing off the blood and likely weren’t there until after the threat was neutralized.
Everyone is so quick to judge the police actions from their computer keyboard safely at home. If someone was coming at me with a hedge trimmer I would do the same. The criminal put himself in that position. He had many opportunities to put the trimmer down. Law enforcement puts up with a lot of crap from crappy people.
How many opportunities?
Just curious since many people seem to know from their keyboards.
They can determine everything, what the person had for breakfast or dinner, what kind of car they drive, what color their skin is. Seems to be an awful lot of people who make a lot of judgements about all sorts of things.
Were any of you there? I wasn’ t! The police officers involved, the suspect, and any witnesses were. Let the investigation be done by FDLE. Anything can be used as a weapon in today’s world, and most yard tools can inflict serious bodily injury. Just read the labels and the instruction manuals tools come with. On face value of the facts the officers seemed like they were forced to use force. One thing people are missing is the guy instigated the action by law enforcement. Remember law enforcement is a 95 percent reactive job to the response and actions of the public. Most of the time law enforcement has plenty of time to investigate and plan responses and to make decisions. But when a threat occurs time turns into seconds.
I agree with Bear. Yard tools are very dangerous. A new law will solve the problem. We need strict background checks for purchases in the lawn and garden sections of Lowes and Home Depot. With recent trimmer and machete attacks, Gainesville need to have a Tool Time Crime Summit and start a Task Force and hire a Tool Safety Department.
I support our Officers. I was once assaulted on my bike on my way home from the grocery store. My spouse called GPD & they were here tout suite!
Did the “subject” have prior history of drug abuse?
The google maps street views of NW 21st place are kind of old (2015), but they give a hint about why someone hired or volunteering to trim hedges may have gone bonkers on a hot day. I’m sorry for the subject’s death, but pending more information my sympathies are with the police.
lawyer’s and activists have left these nuts on the street when they refuse to comply take them out before somene gets hurt
I agree with you.
It’s true there are a lot of potentially dangerous people out there. Some have a mental health history; some are just angry people who might take it too far one day and erupt. But even the people with a history of mental issues who “might” someday be violent, you can’t just take them off the streets. Where will you put them? State mental hospitals already are backed up for months for new admissions. We would need more hospitals built. Are you willing to help pay? Also, the idea of people with mental illness not automatically being locked up came from the 60s, when people with developmental disabilities fought to be released from institutions. Civil rights are a thing.
II do not have any political bias and my main concern is not considering alternative options in this situation. For instance, the use of Tasers or long-distance pepper spray. Was a mental health counselor called in to assess the situation? Lethal force should be the last resort in this scenario. If we have officers who are unable to protect themselves against a hedge clipper, they require more self-defense training. The hedge clipper is large and bulky, not a Samurai Sword. A comprehensive review must be conducted, and let’s not begin with the excuse of forgetting to turn on our body cameras.
Well said
These keyboards warriors is something else with there opinions
I know one thing: the next time I need to have my hedge trimmer repaired/serviced I will take it to a shop outside the Gainesville city limits.
I just hope I don’t get pulled over by law enforcement while transporting my hedge trimmer in my vehicle.
The officer should be put on leave and made to spend more time at the target range until he know how to use his gun properly.
some one trying to attack me with hedge trimmer, especially if it is running, WILL GET SHOT, evidently “this may work”, is a person of steel
Duh, okay.
Candy ass officers. It was a hedge trimmer. Wow seems yall will shoot anyone with anything for any reason,,,and yall make it sound like the right thing to do…has everyone gone slap nuts nowadays..I mean really yall had to shoot a man with a hedge trimmer,,no one was man enough to tackle or restrain him,,yall was afraid….