Three Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office deputies are on administrative leave following a fatal Venice deputy-involved shooting on Aug. 13. The man who was killed told friends he felt he was being unnecessarily targeted by law enforcement.
Deputies arrived at 32-year-old Anthony Bottoni’s home to serve an active warrant for drug possession charges from April. When they forced entry to Bottoni’s house after he refused to exit, Bottoni armed himself with a gun.
Minutes after Bottoni refused to leave his home, he exited with the gun. A deputy used his Taser after Bottoni refused to drop his gun when receiving verbal commands, but it proved ineffective, deputies said.
Bottoni allegedly pointed his gun at the deputies, prompting them to respond with deadly force.
On May 17, Bottoni posted on Facebook that he was being targeted by police and wanted to pursue legal action. Friends of Bottoni confirmed that he spoke about being targeted.
“Desperately need police harassment attorney,” Bottoni wrote in a Facebook post. “They have me so scared. I can’t run my business. I can’t even be out in public, threatening store owners, calling the fire department on my truck.”
When asked about Bottoni’s alleged harassment from law enforcement, SCSO Community Affairs Manager Matthew Binkley said he couldn’t speak for Bottoni’s feelings. He added that one of the responsibilities of the SCSO Fugitive Apprehension Unit is to locate those persons with active warrants for arrest.
When asked how many deputies fired shots at Bottoni, Binkley was only able to confirm the number of personnel who were attached to the dispatched screen, which was a total of 67 personnel. This includes patrol deputies, the Fugitive Apprehension Unit, SWAT and the Hostage Negotiation Team.
Binkley shared that SCSO is continuing with personnel interviews. He couldn’t give a timeframe on the investigation’s completion, but he estimated it could take a month, depending on the cooperation of witnesses and family interviews.
Deputies attempted life-saving measures until the Sarasota County Fire Department (SCFD) arrived. SCFD continued life-saving measures until Bottoni was pronounced dead at the scene.
In 2022, Bottoni moved from North Port to Venice for a fresh start with his family. From 2013 to 2020, Bottoni had 12 driving-related offenses.
He struggled financially and made a few bad choices, but he did the best he could for his 4-year-old daughter and wife, friends shared. After Hurricane Ian wrecked his first home, his family was left with a pair of shoes and two sets of clothes each. Instead of cleaning up his house, he helped a friend clear the huge tree in their yard.
“The Anthony I knew was a good kid – had a wild side – but a good kid,” said Jay Viverios, Bottoni’s former boss. “He worked to provide for his family – all around great guy, always there to lend a hand.”
What does Florida law say about the use of force?
According to Florida Statute 776.05, a law enforcement officer doesn’t need to stop the arresting process because of resistance or threatened resistance to the arrest.
“The officer is justified in the use of any force, which he or she reasonably believes to be necessary to defend himself or herself or another from bodily harm while making the arrest,” the law states.
Why do law enforcement use lethal force?
Travis Norton works as an expert witness in use-of-force cases and offers law enforcement consulting for police practices, including use of force and tactical operations.
He gets frustrated when he hears questions like, “Well, why don’t officers shoot someone’s leg as opposed to pursuing lethal force?”
Norton explains that you don’t meet a lethal force with a less lethal force. For officers who have a gun pointed at them, attempting to shoot a small target, like a leg, is a gamble on their survival, Norton said.
“An officer is not required legally to play games with their life or give up their right to self-defense,” Norton said.
Instead, Norton said officers are trained to aim for center mass, increasing their likelihood of stopping a lethal threat if a weapon is pointed at officers.
Officers are trained in the police academy and receive training through law enforcement agencies on using deadly force.
Melissa Pérez-Carrillo covers breaking news and public safety for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Reach out at mperezcarrillo@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: After fatal deputy-involved shooting, 3 Sarasota deputies on leave pending investigation
Reporting by Melissa Pérez-Carrillo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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