Watch CBS News

Roy Middleton, Fla. man, shot by sheriff's deputies in his driveway after searching car for cigarette, report says

istockphoto

(CBS) A Florida man says he was shot and injured in the driveway of his home by sheriff's deputies after reaching into his mother's car for a cigarette, reports the Pensacola News Journal.

Roy Middleton, 60, was reportedly shot in the leg shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday after he went to retrieve a cigarette from his mother's car in the driveway of their home.

Middleton said he was reaching into his car for a cigarette when he was confronted by sheriff's deputies responding to a burglary call. A neighbor had called 911 after they saw him reaching into the car, reports the paper.

Middleton said he heard a deputy ordering him to put up his hands. He was backing out of the driveway with his hands raised, he said, when they opened fire.

"It was like a firing squad," he told the paper. "Bullets were flying everywhere."

The Escambia County Sheriff's Office reportedly wouldn't comment. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident and the deputies have been placed on paid administrative leave.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.