TAVARES, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -
A civil rights group believes Lake County deputies may have used excessive force in a recent shooting which left a man dead.
The Florida Civil Rights Association (FCRA) organized a peaceful protest on Thursday in Lake County, saying they are doing their own investigation into the shooting of Andrew Scott, a 26-year-old Leesburg man.
Deputies knocked on Scott's door at 1:30 Sunday morning looking for a suspect in an attempted murder case. Scott answered the door with a gun in his hand, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. One of the deputies fired at least six shots, killing Scott.
"We knocked on the door, a gun was pointed at a deputy's face, and he defended himself," said Sheriff Gary Borders who discussed the case for the first time with the media on Thursday.
He says he stands by his deputies and their decision not to announce themselves when they knocked on Scott's door.
"The deputies on scene assess each situation," said Sheriff Borders. "They felt it was safer for them to not announce and to just knock on the door."
Members of FCRA think there should be a policy in place requiring deputies to identify themselves when trying to get into someone's home.
When asked if the outcome might have been different, had the deputies announced their presence, the sheriff responded, "I don't know the answer to that."
The FCRA is requesting manslaughter charges from the State Attorney. The sheriff is not releasing name of the deputy who shot Scott. We are told he has been with the Sheriff's Office for seven years and is a trained military veteran.
