BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Titusville Police Officer was arrested on manslaughter charges in connection with a deadly shooting of a Titusville man last December.
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Officer Joshua Payne, 29, of Winter Park, surrendered to authorities Wednesday and was booked in the Brevard County jail.
Payne was one of several officers who responded to South Deleon Avenue Dec 26 after getting reports of a man attacking a woman in the street.
According to police, when the officers first arrived on the scene they saw a man running away.
A short time later Payne spotted a man whom he thought was the same person who had attacked the woman.
Read: ‘We demand to know’: Family of man fatally shot by Titusville officer calls for transparency
Payne then confronted the man, later identified as James Lowery, and the two got into a “physical altercation”.
The investigation found Payne drew his firearm after seeing Lowery throw something over a fence.
READ: Family demands answers after deadly officer-involved shooting in Titusville
According to the FDLE report, Payne then ordered Lowery to get on the ground but Lowery jumped a nearby gate.
The report goes on to state when Payne got to the gate he fired one time striking Lowery in the back of the head, killing him.
Investigators later discovered that Lowery was not involved in the attack on the woman.
Read: Man shot and killed after attacking officer in Titusville, police say
FDLE investigated the use of deadly force by Payne and submitted their findings to the state’s attorney’s office May 6.
After reviewing the FDLE report, prosecutors on Wednesday filed manslaughter charges against Payne.
Titusville police said Payne has been placed on unpaid suspension pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs investigation.
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