Lake Worth-area man, 21, dies after deputy-involved shooting in Publix parking lot
GREENACRES — A 21-year-old man who was shot by a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputy Monday evening in Greenacres has died.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office identified the man as Jose Villanueva of suburban Lake Worth in announcing his death Wednesday.
The agency did not disclose the name of the deputy involved, saying he had invoked his right to privacy under a 2018 state constitutional amendment modeled after California's Marsy's Law.
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The amendment allows crime victims to withhold their names from public reports. Florida law-enforcement officers involved in violent confrontations have frequently invoked it.
The deputy is on paid leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates the shooting, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said in a news conference late Monday. PBSO also is conducting an internal review of the incident.
PBSO: Gunman's attempt to re-enter Publix escalated encounter
Bradshaw said the incident occurred as deputies responded shortly after 6 p.m. Monday to reports of a suspicious person with a firearm in the parking lot at the Military Crossing shopping center at South Military Trail and Melaleuca Lane.
Villanueva reportedly fired several shots into the air before deputies arrived. It was not clear whether anyone was hit by the gunfire, Bradshaw said.
Marked units arrived and confronted Villanueva, spending about 20 minutes attempting to negotiate his surrender. At one point, Villanueva attempted to re-enter the Publix Super Market at the plaza, prompting deputies to move closer to his position, Bradshaw said.
Villanueva began waving the gun and pointed it in a "threatening manner," forcing a deputy to use deadly force, Bradshaw said. Villanueva was taken to a hospital in critical condition after being shot at least once.
Bradshaw praised the deputies' attempts to diffuse the situation Monday.
"It's a dangerous situation, whether the guy is in the parking lot or going into Publix," he said. "There's a lot of people right now that are trying to get supplies for the hurricane.
"That's why I (have) to give these deputies a lot of credit, No. 1, for trying talk the guy down, and No. 2, to make sure that under no circumstances was he going to get back in proximity to the Publix."
Efforts to reach Villanueva's family on Wednesday were not immediately successful.
2 fatal officer-involved shootings in Palm Beach County this year
Monday's incident was the second fatal shooting and third overall involving law enforcement officers in Palm Beach County this year.
In May, an off-duty West Palm Beach police officer fatally shot Romen Phelps during an encounter at Dreyfoos School of the Arts.
West Palm Beach police investigators alleged that Phelps, a Dreyfoos graduate, crashed his van through the school's gate and attacked an officer after making his way to the campus theater.
Three students who said they encountered Phelps that day said the 33-year-old man was not armed or threatening, contradicting portions of the narrative shared by West Palm Beach police.
A police spokesman maintained that Phelps was "running around the campus, terrorizing the campus," and that he "violently attacked" the officer, who responded quickly to "end this rampage."
FDLE also is investigating that shooting, along with PBSO's Violent Crimes Division and the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: PBSO: Man shot by deputy in Publix parking lot dies at hospital
