A 2-hour attempt to evict a man ended after he asked to be shot and pulled out a firearm, according to court records, prompting a Leon County sheriff’s deputy to shoot him in self-defense.
The reported sequencing of the shooting was revealed in a probable cause affidavit chronicling the arrest of Charles Patrick Sanders, 59, whose condition has been upgraded from “life threatening” to “stable.”
Sanders was shot by LCSO Sgt. Richard Ash, who has been placed on leave in accordance with LCSO procedures pending a review of the incident.
Here’s what happened: A deputy first arrived to Sanders’ property shortly after 1 p.m. on May 14. Sanders was sitting on the front porch of his property.
When asked if he had moved his belongings, Sanders said he had not. He then was told by the deputy that the locks were changed. Sanders stood his ground, saying he would not leave without his items.
The deputy soon called for backup in response to Sanders asking for the deputy to shoot him.
At approximately 2:12 p.m., another deputy arrived and was told Sanders was armed.
As the two deputies continued to speak with Sanders, he soon became emotional speaking of his adult child who moved away. He also spoke of wanting to continue to work and live at the RV park he was at, that things were going downhill under the new management.
“I’d rather you just really put a bullet in me. I really would,” he said, according to deputies. “You know what, I’d prefer it. I’d prefer it than … dealing with some other stupid (stuff).”
Sanders then said he had cancer and other medical conditions and had nowhere to go. That’s when Ash arrived on scene, alongside a lieutenant. Sanders refused to leave.
The lieutenant asked Sanders if he would shoot a deputy. He said he did not want to, once again repeating his previous request to be shot.
“I told y’all a hundred times. I said, just put a … bullet in my head and be done with it. Because it’s going to come down to that,” he said.
Deputies used a Taser on Sanders, but it did not incapacitate him. He then drew his pistol, according to the report, pointing it at the deputies. Ash drew his own sidearm and fired seven times at Sanders, the report shows.
Sanders was Tased yet again and pointed his pistol again, leading to an eighth round being fired by Ash. During the gunfire, Sanders was shot on the right side of his neck.
While available court records don’t reveal whether Sanders has prior charges, he was the subject of a domestic violence injunction from 2019, which was later dismissed.
The Tallahassee Democrat has requested body camera video of the shooting.
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Records reveal new details after LCSO deputy shot man during eviction standoff
Reporting by Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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