A man threatening to kill his wife and himself was critically wounded by a Polk County sheriff’s deputy in Poinciana on June 30, according to Sheriff Grady Judd.
Polk deputies responded to a 911 call from a mental health provider at 11:43 a.m. reporting that a Wilfrido Ramon Morales, 57, was threatening to commit suicide, Judd said during a brief news update near the scene about 5:30 p.m.
A Polk deputy arrived at a Poinciana home to find Morales’ wife standing in the driveway by a car. Morales was standing outside the home’s garage and fired several shots at his wife and the deputy before immediately retreating into the garage, Judd said.
One of the bullets went through the window of the deputy’s patrol car, Judd said.
The deputy called for assistance and received backup from Polk County’s SWAT and crisis negotiation teams, the Florida Highway Patrol and the Haines City Police Department.
Judd said law enforcement set a perimeter around the home and began trying to talk with Morales. The officers contacted his daughter, Judd said, getting her to record a message in an attempt to get him to talk with law enforcement and come out of the house.
Polk County’s SWAT team introduced chemical agents to the house in hopes of forcing Morales to exit, Judd said. It eventually resulted in getting him into the garage.
When Morales came out to the garage, Judd said he was visibly holding a gun to his chest and waving at deputies, expressing he wanted them to shoot him.
Polk deputies did not enter the garage or home. Law enforcement shot a bean bag projectile at him, Judd said, which caused Morales to turn and point his gun at SWAT team members.
“We immediately shot him and he went down,” Judd said.
A SWAT medic was sent in to begin life-saving measures. Morales was airlifted to HCA Florida Osceola Hospital, which is a level 2 trauma center.
Judd said Morales was in critical condition as of Monday night and was undergoing emergency surgery.
The 10th Judicial Circuit’s Officer Involved Deadly-Incident Task Force and State Attorney’s Office are at the scene conducting active investigations.
Judd said the officers involved will be placed on administrative leave, as per standard protocol, until the initial investigations are complete.
Morales’ wife was not injured, nor were any law enforcement agents.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Man threatening his wife and deputies is critically wounded by Polk deputy, sheriff says
Reporting by Sara-Megan Walsh, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
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