Authorities: Collier deputy shoots, kills knife wielding man

IMMOKALEE, Fla. – A knife-wielding man who was shot and killed by a Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputy Sunday night has been identified as 46-year-old Juan A. Ruiz.

Authorities responded to an unverified 911 call of two men, identified as Ruiz and Mario Umanzor, 55, fighting in a parking lot at the intersection of North Third and Main streets at about 9:30 p.m., the department said.

“When the deputy ordered the subject to put down the knife he refused, and instead came toward the deputy,” the department said. “The deputy shot the armed subject in order to stop the threat.”

Both men involved in the fight were taken to Lee Memorial Hospital, where Ruiz later died. The deputy was not injured.

The deputy was placed on administrative leave, which is standard in law enforcement-involved shootings.

The incident is under investigation.