Florida man shot and killed after hitting deputy in head with metal rod, officials say

SEBRING, Fla. — A man is dead after a deputy-involved shooting in Highlands County.

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The shooting happened Tuesday around 4 p.m. in Sebring.

Deputies say they were called about a man burning a pile of debris on the side of the road.

They said 39-year-old Richard Myron-Ham was armed with two metal rods.

Deputies say Ham would not follow their orders, so they tased him.

Then they say he hit a deputy in the head, so they shot him.

Ham later died at a hospital.

Deputies say Ham was burning his son’s things because he thought he was possessed by a demon.

They said he also put his son in that fire and covered him with a blanket, but he was able to escape.

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