OAKLAND PARK, FLA. (WSVN) – Authorities said they are investigating a deputy-involved shooting in Oakland Park that left a machete-wielding subject dead.
Broward Sheriff’s Office units responded to a report of a suspicious man in the 300 block of Northeast 38th Street, just after 7 a.m. on Thursday.
Investigators believe the man, identified as Deavon McGauley, was on a sidewalk waving a machete.
Detectives said deputies came into contact with McGauley, and a confrontation occurred in the 300 block of Northeast 33rd Street.
At one point, authorities said McGauley aggressively attacked the deputies with a machete, leading to at least one deputy discharging their firearm and striking the 39-year-old subject.
“When deputies got on scene, he attacked them with a machete, and that’s when the shooting occurred,” said BSO spokesperson Miranda Grossman in a news conference on Thursday.
Witness David Aldasouki described the moment when, he said, the shooting occurred.
“He had the machete, he was very angry. [A deputy] told him ‘drop it, drop it’ too many times,” he said. “[The subject] didn’t understand, he jumped on [the deputies], he went to jump, and they start shooting.”
Investigators said the man was transported to Broward Health Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Back at the scene, 7Skyforce hovered above a machete on the sidewalk with an evidence marker next to it.
The man’s mother, Michelle McGauley, told 7News that the situation did not warrant the gunfire. She said her son was 39 years old.
“My cousin, his cousin, and other people said he had a machete. So, either way, they could have tased him,” she said.
She added that, while he had some personal troubles, he was never a bad person.
“Deavon was a wonderful person; he was a good person. Deavon was not a troublemaker; he had some mental issues going on,” said Michelle.
McGauley’s aunt, who did not wish to be identified, said everyone in the area recognized him, and employees at nearby businesses would call his mother if they believed he needed help.
“That’s just his favorite hangout spot. That’s just been – he’s been hanging out there for years, I mean, for years,” said McGauley’s aunt.
Several of McGauley’s family members are now searching for answers, believing that deputies were too quick to use guns to handle the situation.
“I think that a Taser should have been used. That would’ve been the proper force to use with someone with a machete from the distance that he was,” said McGauley’s cousin, who did not wish to be identified.
“The police better – they need better training on mental health,” said McGauley’s aunt.
With the investigation just beginning, it’s unclear if responding deputies attempted to deploy their Tasers or how many shots were fired during the confrontation.
The deputies involved in this shooting have been placed on administrative assignment while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducts an investigation.
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