VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — More information has been released regarding the decision by Volusia County deputies to shoot a mentally unstable man, who came at deputies with a pair of knives.
The incident happened Sunday afternoon at a home on Lakeshore Drive, near the intersection of Tomoka Farms Road.
On Monday, Sheriff Mike Chitwood released this body camera video of the incident showing the moments leading up to the shooting.
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During Monday’s press conference, the sheriff said deputies tried everything they could to prevent shooting this suspect.
In the body cam video, you can see that deputies first tried negotiating with the suspect, Michael Collmar, and tried several non-lethal devices to stop him, but nothing worked.
In the video, you can hear Collmar, who is armed with two knives, threatening to kill the people who he claimed raped his mother and father.
Read: Intense video shows deputies shoot man armed with knives near New Smyrna Beach
“Well, it’s really viewed as a hostile situation. The parents are in the house. He’s blocking them from leaving the house. He’s armed with two knives. He does not want to speak to anybody at all. And he won’t let his parents out of the house,” Chitwood said.
After first pleading with Collmar to come out of the house peacefully, deputies try to taser Collmar but Collmar blocks the taser prongs from hitting him with a chair.
Meanwhile, another group of deputies entered the house through another entrance and used bean bag shotguns to take him down, but they had no effect.
WARNING: This body camera video contains graphic content
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Collmar can next be seen running out of the house at a deputy on the porch with the knives when he is shot.
“I don’t know what more we could have done. It’s a matter of time before these parents end up dead with this guy. And you know, I’m very proud of everything that we did,” Chitwood said.
Chitwood said that Collmar has a lengthy criminal record, and this was not the first time deputies have been to this house.
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Since Jan. 6, deputies have been called out to this home five times for issues related to Collmar’s mental health.
Chitwood said that neither Collmar nor his parents sought help after those interactions.
“He clearly has an SMA care caseworker, who is there. He received his prescribed medications. But when these guys don’t want to deal with their counselors, they don’t want to follow the program and only take their medication. This is what happens,” Chitwood said.
Chitwood added that when deputies responded to the home over the last month, Collmar didn’t meet the criteria to be Baker Acted because he never acted violently towards anyone.
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