Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies shot and killed, Jarvis Randall, a Black psychiatric patient after he allegedly charged at the officers with broken glass.
The deputies were called to University Hospital in Tamarac about 10:30 p.m. Saturday night after the staff reported that he had become violent and was threatening other people in the mental health portion of the facility. Broward Sheriff County Spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright recounted the encounter in a statement: “When deputies arrived at the facility, they tried to calm down Randall, who was demonstrating aggressive threatening behavior.”
Deputies then fired bean bags at Randall and they said that he continued to charge them. At that point, all three deputies shot him.
Jarvis Randall, 30, was taken to Broward Health North where he died just before midnight.
The deputies involved in the fatal shooting have been placed on restricted duty while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates the incident.
Randall was on mental-health probation for burglary charges dating back a decade. Broward Circuit Court judge signed Randall’s probation order on Feb. 27, he determined Randall was a “violent offender of special concern.”
According to court documents, Judge Ernest Kollra added a note to the file stating Randall “DOES NOT pose a danger.”
Randall’s five-year probation sentence was scheduled to expire in 2023.
It’s a fact that the police can shoot if they feel they are in danger. Whatever that looks like. However, did it really take three officers to shoot one man who was running towards them with broken glass
Reader Question: Do you think that the deputies would have shot and killed Randall had he been white
