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Barry Heckard

Age : 39

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 09/23/2021

Location : State Road 45/US 27-41 near West Newberry Road

City : Newberry

County : Alachua

State : Florida

Agency : Alachua County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police following attempted DUI traffic stop and vehicle pursuit

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 09/23/2021, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies shot and killed 39-year-old Barry Heckard following an attempted DUI traffic stop, vehicle pursuit, PIT maneuver and armed confrontation on State Road 45/US 27-41 in Newberry. Contemporary reporting identified Heckard as a Gainesville resident and owner of Heckard’s Doors.
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The encounter began at approximately 8:30 p.m. when deputies observed Heckard’s van swerving while traveling on State Road 45 south of Newberry. Deputies suspected the driver was impaired and attempted to stop the van for suspected DUI. Heckard continued driving away while deputies pursued.
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The initiating reason for the attempted traffic stop is therefore specifically documented: deputies observed the van driving erratically and swerving and suspected the driver was intoxicated. This was not an attempted stop for a warrant or a known violent offense.
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During the pursuit, deputies used a PIT maneuver in an attempt to stop Heckard’s van near State Road 45 and Newberry Road. Police alleged that after the PIT maneuver Heckard fired a gun at deputies. At least one deputy returned fire.
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The encounter then developed into an armed standoff. The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team responded, and numerous sheriff’s vehicles surrounded Heckard’s van near the intersection. Police alleged that additional gunfire was exchanged between Heckard and deputies.
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Heckard was struck by police gunfire and died at the scene. Contemporary reporting described at least one deputy firing during the initial exchange, while later accounts described multiple exchanges of gunfire. The publicly available initial reporting did not establish which specific deputy fired the fatal shot.
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A civilian witness recorded video of portions of the confrontation, providing evidence of the police response beyond the Sheriff’s Office’s account.
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The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was brought in to investigate the fatal police shooting rather than leaving the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office solely responsible for investigating its own deputies.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
The Alachua County sheriff’s deputy or deputies who shot Heckard were not publicly identified in the contemporary reporting located for this update.
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There was another Alachua County deputy shooting only five months before Heckard’s death. On April 12, 2021, an ACSO deputy shot Jeremiah Birrey during a domestic-disturbance response near Gainesville after police alleged Birrey approached his girlfriend while armed with a knife.
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That earlier shooting and Heckard’s death placed the Sheriff’s Office in at least two deputy shooting incidents during 2021. Without the identities of the deputies who fired at Heckard, however, it is not possible to determine whether any of the same personnel were involved in both encounters.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.alligator.org/article/2021/09/gainesville-man-dies-in-newberry-shootout-with-alachua-county-sheriff-deputies
https://www.wcjb.com/2021/09/24/breaking-alachua-county-sheriffs-deputies-fire-an-armed-suspect-newberry/
https://alachuachronicle.com/man-shot-in-newberry-after-opening-fire-at-deputies/
https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/news/update-newberry-man-flees-deputies-exchanges-fire_id_688439d0-1cd6-11ec-8bf6-d341a98a36d5
https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2021/04/12/deputy-shoots-alachua-man-during-domestic-disturbance-call/