A Deltona man seen in body camera video opening rapid fire on a Volusia sheriff’s deputy and injuring him said he would have killed the lawman if he did not run out of ammunition, court records show.
An arrest report filed with the court shows deputies found 12 shell casings from a 9mm pistol in the doorway where Luis Polanco fired at Deputy Jose Rivera. An empty magazine was also in the yard, investigating deputies said.
Another six 9mm shell casings were located two houses away where Rivera had sought cover.
Before going to Polanco’s home, Rivera and Deputy Jacob Gomez Lopez on Monday, March 2, had gone to an Orion Circle home at 4:06 p.m. to speak with a woman who reported that at 5 a.m. she had gone to the Candler Drive home to pick up Polanco’s mother for work and got assaulted, the arrest report said.
The woman said Polanco, who was acting erratically, came out and struck the hood of the vehicle damaging it, investigating deputies wrote in the report.
Body cam video shows Deltona man opens rapid fire at deputy
In body camera released Tuesday, Rivera is seen approaching the entrance of the Candler Drive home and encounters Polanco. When he tries to talk to him, Polanco goes back into the home and closes the door behind him.
Rivera then goes to a window and knocks, motioning to Polanco to come out. Polanco is then seen opening the door and a sudden burst of gunfire is heard.
Rivera reacts under the hail of bullets and runs, radioing “Shots fired!”
The video then shows Rivera bleeding from his right arm while another deputy applies a tourniquet around his right thigh.
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Rivera’s body camera deflected the bullet meant for his chest.
The video then shows Polanco been taken into custody at gunpoint and secured.
Rivera was rushed to Halifax Health | UF Health – Medical Center of Deltona where a deputy is heard telling medical staff that Rivera was shot in the arm and leg.
River was stabilized and then transferred to Halifax Health in Daytona Beach.
News reports indicate Rivera will be released from the hospital on Wednesday, March 4
Deltona man said he would have killed deputy but ran out of ammo
Rivera and Gomez Lopez went to the Candler Drive home, where Polanco appeared surprised that deputies were at his door, the report noted.
Polanco was seen in the kitchen before he came to the door and started shooting at Rivera, the court document states.
Rivera ran for cover two houses away where additional responding deputies found him and provided medical attention, the court document shows.
After he was arrested, Polanco said his day started “horrible’ because he had argued with his mother about her driving. He said he had not taken his medicine for schizophrenia for a month because he missed an appointment, the arrest report detailed.
Polanco said he was scared when he saw Rivera and Gomez Lopez, so he got his gun and fired at them, investigating deputies wrote in the report.
Polanco told deputies he confronted his mother’s friend early Monday while armed. He also said that he intentionally aimed at Rivera’s chest because he believed his bulletproof vest would protect him, the court document highlighted.
Polanco said he ran out of ammunition or he would have killed Rivera, investigating deputies said in the report.
“Luis (Polanco) stated that if he had not run out of ammunition, he would have continued shooting and “been forced to kill” the deputy,” investigators wrote in the report filed with the court.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Video shows Deltona man shooting Volusia deputy
Reporting by Patricio G. Balona, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
