Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies shot a man after he pointed a gun at them in Delray Beach late Wednesday, authorities said.
The incident occurred shortly after 11:30 p.m. when deputies responded to a welfare check in the 5600 block of Via Delray.
When deputies arrived they found a man who was threatening suicide, Palm Beach Sheriff's Office officials said.
Officials said the man began walking up and down a canal bank as deputies tried establish a rapport with him.
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The man then produced a firearm and placed it to the side of his head, but deputies kept trying to talk to him in hopes of offering him mental health services, officials said.
The man then entered the canal, which was filled with no more than knee to waist-deep water, and continued walking as deputies positioned themselves on either side of the canal bank.
Suddenly the man pointed the gun at the deputies and they fired their guns at him, striking him in the torso, PBSO said.
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Officials have not released the identity of the man, but he was transported to a local hospital where he was in stable condition and expected to survive.
The deputies were placed on administrative leave, which is standard department protocol.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is taking the lead in the investigation into the deputy-involved shooting, however PBSO Violent Crimes detectives and the State Attorney’s Office investigators are also investigating.
