An 82-year-old man who pointed a gun at residents and police in Margate was shot and killed by an officer Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
The incident happened around 12:45 p.m. in the area of Northwest 1st Street and Rock Island Road.
Margate Police officials said officers responded to the area after receiving reports of a man pointing a gun at citizens and encountered the suspect, 82-year-old Jose Antonio Suarez.
The officers saw Suarez waiving the gun and shooting into the ground, officials said.
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After officers gave Suarez several commands to drop the weapon, he pointed the gun at them, and that's when an officer opened fire, officials said.
Suarez was shot and given emergency aid but died at the scene, officials said.
No officers or residents were injured in the incident.
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Witnesses said they saw the man point the gun at officers before they opened fire.
“He had a gun, pointed it, the cop kept yelling ‘drop the gun, drop the gun,’” witness Mike Dunne said. “I heard the cops saying 9-10 times ‘drop the gun, drop the gun.’”
The shooting took place near the city's Department of Public Works.
“It’s not a good thing,” Dunne said. “Don’t know why he did it but you don’t point a gun at a cop.”
The officer that discharged their weapon was placed on administrative leave under the department's standard policy.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.
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