TOWN N’ COUNTRY, Fla. (WFLA) — Body camera footage released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Sunday evening showed the moments leading up to a deadly deputy-involved shooting.
The footage was released almost 24 hours after the shooting, which happened around 9:15 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17 outside a Circle K gas station on West Hillsborough Avenue and Elliot Drive.
The deputy, 26-year-old Jared Mincemeyer, had pulled a man over near the gas station after noticing he had an obscured tag, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The body-worn camera footage released by the sheriff’s office Sunday was from two deputies who were at the scene: Mincemeyer and an undercover deputy who was not named.
The man who died had still not been identified as of Sunday evening. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were still working to notify his next of kin. Due to that, the man’s face was blurred in the footage.
In the video, Mincemeyer can be seen approaching the man’s vehicle and asking to see his hands. The man then briefly put his hands up.
“All right, hop out real quick,” Micemeyer told the man. That’s when investigators said the driver began reaching for a gun.
The undercover deputy was standing on the passenger side of the car, and footage from his body-worn camera appears to show the driver grabbing something from underneath his seat.
Mincemeyer quickly backed away from the car once the object came into his view. As the man got out of the car with what officials said was a gun, Mincemeyer opened fire. The undercover deputy appears to also draw a weapon.
The man was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“Our deputy was simply doing his job trying to protect our community when he was forced to defend himself against an armed individual,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said following the shooting. “No deputy ever wants to face this situation, but when confronted with a deadly threat, they must act to protect themselves and others. Our deputies put their lives on the line every day to keep our community safe. It’s unfortunate when criminals make choices that lead to fatal outcomes.”
The sheriff’s office said Deputy Mincemeyer has been with them since October 2022 and has no prior use of force.
The FDLE will continue to investigate the incident.