'This didn't have to happen:' Charlotte County releases body camera footage of deadly deputy-involved shooting

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WWSB) – The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has released body camera footage of an officer-involved shooting that left one man dead.

In the 20-minute video, officers are seen talking to 42-year-old Elroy Clarke at his home and using various de-escalation methods.

Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell held a news conference Friday to provide additional information about the incident. You can check it out here.

According to Prummell, officers responded to a home shortly after noon on Wednesday in reference to a disturbance between Clarke, the owner of the property, and Troy Johnson, a guest on the property that Clarke wanted to leave.

Prummell said the suspects had “sovereign ideologies,” meaning they feel they don’t have to follow the law or directions.

Upon arrival, officers discovered that Clarke had a warrant out for his arrest for failure to appear on trespassing charges. When they tried to arrest him, he resisted. Prumell said this lasted about 20 minutes.

Officers tried to use tasers and pepper spray several times, to no avail. Three deputies went “hands-on” with him at one point and he “threw them off him like they were rag dolls,” Prummell said.

A deputy then pulled out a bean bag firing shotgun and appeared to fire at least twice, again to no effect.

“In my 33 years, I’ve never seen that before,” Prummell said.

Clarke eventually attacked one of the deputies, at which point the deputy fatally shot him.

Sheriff Prummell confirmed during Friday’s press conference that the deputy fired 14 times. The video shows other deputies trying to calm the deputy down several minutes later.

“This is a tragic incident. None of us wanted this to happen. You can clearly see that the delegates did not want this to happen. And now, unfortunately, because of his decision, there are children who are now fatherless,” Prummell said.

The sheriff’s office is still awaiting a toxicology report from the medical examiner’s office.

ABC7 is choosing not to share the body camera footage because it contains graphic violence and vulgar language.