BRANDON, Fla. – The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a deputy-involved shooting in Brandon.
On Sunday afternoon, deputies responded to a domestic violence incident involving a 7-year-old.
The backstory:
HCSO says the suspect, Mario Camacho, was armed with a knife and was choking the child at a home on the 100 block of Alpine Drive.
Deputies located Camacho in a back bedroom after hearing the child screaming for help.
Camacho refused to let go of the child and that’s when a deputy shot the suspect. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The child was safely rescued.
What they’re saying:
Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said that the Camacho was wearing a motorcycle helmet and two ballistic vests with armored plates.
“The only shot he could take was the shot he had to take to stop that threat from harming that boy, and rescuing him and saving him,” Maurer said during a press conference on Sunday. “If our deputies did not take that action, there’s no doubt in my mind that that boy is not here tonight.”
What’s next:
Maurer also said that the body cam video of the incident will be released soon.
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FDLE is investigating the incident.
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The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.