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Alberto Rodriguez

Gender : Male

Age : 28

Race : Black

Date : 10/02/2024

Location : 1000 W Hill Street

City : Avon Park

County : Highlands

State : Florida

Agency : Highlands County Sheriff’s Office

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during “unwanted person” call

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On October 1, 2024, Highlands County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call about a disturbance involving Alberto Rodriguez, 28, at 1000 West Hill Street in Avon Park. Rodriguez was reportedly seen threatening others with a knife. When deputies arrived, they instructed Rodriguez to leave the location, but he refused.
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Deputies attempted to arrest Rodriguez and deployed a Taser and Rodriguez then picked up weights from a nearby weight bench and threw them at officers. The deputies, claiming they feared for their lives, then shot and killed him. He had been unarmed.
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Rodriguez's family has questioned the necessity of using deadly force, as he was reportedly unarmed when he was shot, and the encounter escalated despite Rodriguez being uncooperative rather than immediately violent. The incident occurred after a history of prior disturbances in the area.
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Rodriguez's death is being investigated by the 10th Judicial Circuit's Officer Involved Deadly Incident Task Force, which will examine the officers' actions during the incident.
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Number of Casualties During this Police Encounter: 1 fatality
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Last Update: December 3, 2024

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/crime/avon-park-man-dead-deputy-florida-shooting-highlands-county/67-d82790b4-3535-4dad-993c-65e49664054e
https://www.wfla.com/news/highlands-county/suspect-dead-after-deputy-involved-shooting-in-highlands-county/
https://www.fox13news.com/news/man-armed-with-weights-shot-killed-by-deputy-investigators-say
https://www.wfla.com/news/highlands-county/1-dead-after-shooting-at-a-basketball-court-in-avon-park/