COCOA, Fla. — The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office has released dashcam footage in the officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of a 16-year-old and 18-year-old.
Sincere Pierce, 18, and 16-year-old Angelo Crooms were both killed in the shooting Friday morning as two deputies were attempting to conduct a follow-up investigation on what they believed was a possibly stolen car that had just fled from another deputy near Cocoa, Sheriff Wayne Ivey said.
The vehicle was first seen at Clearlake Road and Dixon Boulevard, then shortly after near Ivy Street in Cocoa. There, deputies saw the vehicle make a left turn then immediately into the driveway of a nearby home.
READ: “I can’t function”: Woman wants to know what happened before son was killed by deputy in Cocoa
At that point, deputies exited their vehicles in an attempt to make contact with the occupants, Ivey said.
Watch the footage below. Warning: Contains graphic content
However, the driver backed out of the driveway and toward the deputies and their vehicles, which were parked in the roadway.
One of the deputies gave seven verbal commands for the driver to stop the car. Instead the driver, Crooms, turned and accelerated the vehicle toward the deputy who was then “forced to fire” his gun in an attempt to stop the car from crashing into him, Ivey said.
One of the passengers in the vehicle told investigators that the occupants inside the vehicle heard the deputy tell them to stop.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the case.
The two deputies involved, Jafet Santiago-Miranda and Carson Hendren, have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation.
Read: Deputy fatally shot boy, 16, man, 18, in Cocoa neighborhood Friday
“I ask that you keep the family of the two young men in your thoughts and prayers and also our deputies, as an incident of this magnitude impacts everyone, including our entire community,” Ivey said in a news release.
UPDATE FROM SHERIFF WAYNE IVEY REGARDING OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING THAT OCCURRED ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020 As some...
Posted by Brevard County Sheriff's Office, Florida (Official) on Tuesday, November 17, 2020
The 18th Judicial Circuit’s State Attorney’s office released the following statement regarding the shooting:
“We want to express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of these two young men as they struggle to deal with this painful tragedy. We understand and share their desire to know what took place, and that every aspect of this incident will be carefully reviewed. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has issued a statement that upon conclusion of their investigation into the use of deadly force by Brevard County Deputies, they will present their findings to the State Attorney for review. The role of the State Attorney in this investigation and in conducting our review is to determine whether a criminal violation of Florida law has occurred, whether any person may be held criminally responsible, and whether such criminal responsibility can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Our commitment to justice is the fundamental and guiding principal in every such decision. We have confidence in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to conduct a detailed and thorough investigation and believe it’s appropriate to allow that process to proceed to a conclusion, before offering any further public comment.”
There is a protest planned Wednesday at U.S. 1 and State Road 520.
Watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News and download the free WFTV news app for updates on this developing story.
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