Charlotte County Sheriff identifies deputies involved in Monday shooting

Sheriff Bill Prummell held a press conference and identified the deputies involved in a shooting that left one person dead in Charlotte Harbor Monday morning.

MORE: Deputy fatally shoots man after he pulls weapon, claimed to have killed 3 people

Prummell said that on Monday at 5:12 a.m., dispatchers got the first 911 calls about a man with a gun at the McDonald’s at 4695 Tamiami Trail.

One caller followed the man who claimed to have an AK 47, later identified as George Smith, and was communicating the scene to 911 dispatchers, Prummell said.

At 5:15 a.m., Deputy Oskey arrived and tried to talk with Smith, asking him to drop his gun.

Cprl. Deryk Alexander then arrived with a shield team and carried a less lethal shotgun. He fired three rounds at Smith from 72 feet away and hit Smith twice. Prummell said those shots did not phase or stop Smith and he tried to aim his gun at law enforcement again.

Deputy Oskey was at back of the vehicle and fired four rounds hitting Smith, Prummell said.

Smith’s rifle was 22 caliber, not an AK 47 that he claimed he had. Those rounds could have penetrated deputy’s ballistic vests, according to the sheriff.

Cprl. Deryk Alexander has been with the sheriff’s office since 1998. Deputy Austin Oskey, who fired the deadly shots, has been with CCSO since 2017, the sheriff said. Both deputies went through CIT training in March.

Smith’s motive is still unclear, although family members said he was depressed and possibly suicidal.

The investigation is ongoing.