OAKLAND PARK, Fla. — A deputy-involved shooting occurred Thursday morning during a confrontation with a man who was armed with a machete in Oakland Park, a spokeswoman for the Broward Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Local 10 News.
According to BSO spokeswoman Miranda Grossman, the shooting occurred shortly after 7 a.m. in the 300 block of Northeast 33rd Street.
“When deputies arrived on the scene, they located an adult male who was armed with a machete,” Grossman said. “At some point during that encounter, that subject attacked the deputies with the machete and a deputy-involved shooting occurred.”
Grossman said deputies initially received a report about a “suspicious person” in the area of Northeast 35th Court and Fifth Avenue.
When deputies arrived, they made contact with the armed man before the shooting occurred, Grossman said.
Authorities confirmed that the man was taken to a local hospital where he died.
Deputies identified the man as 39-year-old Deavon McGauley.
“He was a good person. He was actually a father and everything,” McGauley’s cousin, Melvin McGauley, said.
Melvin McGauley said his cousin suffered from mental health issues and has been arrested a number of times, but never for anything violent.
“He got this issue going on with his head, so they have been informed multiple times that he has been incarcerated of his situation so we don’t understand why a protocol had to take place where they had to shoot that many times,” Melvin McGauley said.
Sky 10 flew about the scene after the investigation shut down area streets.
“He had a machete, they saying, but how far was he from you? Was your life really in danger to take that many shots?” Melvin McGauley questioned.
The shooting is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as well as BSO’s Internal Affairs unit.
The deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, per standard protocol.
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