Officer-involved shooting outside Greenacres Publix sends man to hospital, puts deputy on leave

GREENACRES — A Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputy shot and wounded a man during an "active shooter" incident in a Publix supermarket parking lot in Greenacres on Monday evening, the sheriff's office said.

PBSO did not immediately identify the injured man beyond saying he was about 21 years old. Paramedics took him to a hospital for treatment of his injuries, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said during a news conference held Monday night at a PBSO substation in suburban West Palm Beach.

As of Tuesday morning, he remained in critical condition

The sheriff's office also did not release the name of the deputy who fired the gun. The deputy is on paid leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates the incident.

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Shooting followed confrontation in shopping center parking lot

Bradshaw said deputies initially responded shortly after 6 p.m. to reports of a suspicious person with a firearm outside the Publix at the Military Crossing shopping center at South Military Trail and Melaleuca Lane.

While unmarked PBSO units were on the way the scene, the man fired several shots in the parking lot, turning the event into an active shooter situation, Bradshaw said. It was not clear whether anyone was hit by the gunfire, he said.

Marked units arrived and confronted the shooter, spending about 20 minutes attempting to negotiate his surrender. At one point the man attempted to re-enter the Publix, prompting deputies to move closer to his position.

The man began waving the gun and pointed it in a "threatening manner," forcing the deputies to use deadly force, Bradshaw said. The man was hit at least once.

"It's a dangerous situation, whether the guy is in the parking lot or going into Publix," Bradshaw 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."

PBSO will conduct an internal review of the shooting while FDLE performs its investigation, Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw appeared by remote video feed, with Monday's news conference streamed live on PBSO's Facebook page. It was one of his first public appearances since the sheriff's office announced that he underwent two heart surgeries this year.

Third officer-involved shooting this year in Palm Beach County

Monday's incident was at least the third shooting involving law enforcement in Palm Beach County this year.

In May, an off-duty West Palm Beach police officer fatally shot 33-year-old Romen Phelps during an encounter at Dreyfoos School of the Arts.

West Palm Beach 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 school's theater. FDLE is also investigating that shooting, along with PBSO's Violent Crimes Division and the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office.

In July, a PBSO deputy shot and wounded 20-year-old Tzvi Allswang at a residence in suburban Boca Raton. PBSO investigators alleged that Allswang was holding a knife to the woman's throat when deputies confronted him, and said the man had held the woman, a social worker, hostage for several hours.

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: Palm Beach deputy shoots man in Publix parking lot