SARASOTA, Fla. — A Sarasota County Sheriff's Office deputy shot and killed a Sarasota man who the agency says came at law enforcement with a knife during an eviction process.
It happened around 9 a.m. Friday at a condominium complex at South Palm Avenue near Alderman Street in Sarasota.
Three deputies responded with an attorney to remove a man who was "squatting" in the unit, sheriff's office spokesperson Kaitlyn Perez said during a news conference. A notice had been placed on the unit's door 24 hours prior, which reportedly warned that unless the man left, he would be subject to physical removal by law enforcement.
The deputies made entry into the unit, which was when the man – identified as 65-year-old Jeremiah Evans – pulled out a knife, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies tried to get him to drop the knife, but nothing worked.
An agency-issued Taser was reportedly deployed in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. The shock failed to stop the man who then lunged forward toward the deputies, the sheriff's office explains.
An unnamed deputy was said to have shot him.
Deputies on the scene immediately performed first aid and CPR on Evans, but they were unsuccessful, the sheriff's office says.
"Two other deputies were also there. They made verbal commands in an attempt to make the subject deescalate, again, he did not, he advanced toward our deputies," Perez said.
An earlier statement on social media indicated that the deputies involved are OK.
Perez explained that back in September, the person who lived in the unit died and the family that owned it hired an attorney to begin the process of selling. Evans, who also had been living there, stayed in and had not been paying rent, she continued.
"His name was not on the lease. He should not have been here, so the apartment complex, with their attorney, tried to handle things themselves until it got into the legal process," Perez said.
That process began Wednesday when the sheriff's office received a writ of possession to make contact with Evans, but the complex's attorney made a request to wait until Thursday.
Perez said that she is trying to figure out whether the deputies Thursday morning were able to speak with Evans. At the very least, she continued, a 24-hour eviction notice was posted on the unit's door.
The shooting Friday morning happened only a few blocks from Bayfront Park. While the shooting happened within city limits, the sheriff's office is handling the investigation because the agency is tasked with eviction calls.
"Anytime you serve civil process paperwork, it can be a highly emotionally charged interaction," Perez said. "As I mentioned, there were three deputies there. We don't go solo to these calls for service. It's usually emotional, someone is being removed from their home. In this case, there was a man in this home since September who should not have been there.
"The apartment complex did everything they could to try to remove him, he chose not to leave, so things had to run through law enforcement."
Over the weekend, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said all three deputies involved in the case were formally interviewed by detectives. Once the investigation has concluded, the findings will be reviewed by the State Attorney’s Office.
CORRECTION: Law enforcement initially misstated the man's age. He was 65. This story has been updated.