Man wielding machete shot and killed by Broward deputy after confrontation in Oakland Park, BSO says
Law enforcement officers swarmed an Oakland Park neighborhood early Thursday morning after a Broward sheriff's deputy shot and killed a man armed with a machete, authorities said.
The Broward Sheriff's Office said deputies responded shortly before 7 a.m. to reports of a suspicious person in the area of Northeast 35th Court and Northeast 5th Avenue.
Broward deputies confront man armed with machete in Oakland Park
When deputies arrived, they saw a man, identified as 39-year-old Deavon McGauley, walking around with a machete, according to BSO spokesperson Miranda Grossman.
"He was walking around with a machete and when deputies got on scene, he attacked them with a machete and that's when the shooting occurred," Grossman said.
The confrontation happened shortly afterward in the 300 block of Northeast 33rd Street. Oakland Park Fire Rescue transported the man to a hospital, where BSO said he later died.
His mother, Michelle McGauley, was seen lashing out at deputies.
"They could have tased him. They could have tased him," McGauley said. "If they said he had a machete and wouldn't put it down they could have tased him instead of using a gun."
McGauley's family also said he had mental health issues and had gotten out of jail on Sunday over a child support matter, and that he was "never violent."
Witness describes confrontation before fatal deputy shooting
Video from Chopper 4 showed what appeared to be a machete lying at a crime scene near Northeast 38th Street and Northeast Fifth Avenue.
A witness who said he saw the incident unfold described deputies repeatedly telling the man to drop the weapon.
"He had a machete. He was very angry. [They] told him 'drop it, drop it' too many times," said David Aldasouki. "He didn't listen. He jumped on them and then they started shooting."
BSO said several deputies were involved in the shooting but none were injured. The deputies who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.
Because deputies discharged their firearms, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will lead the investigation.
The incident remains under investigation, BSO said.