Florida officers who opened fire at suspect in Dollar General cleared of wrongdoing
Officers repeatedly told the suspect to 'get on the ground' but were ignored.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two Florida officers who fired 42 rounds at a suspect accused of robbing a Dollar General, fatally shooting him in the head, were cleared of wrongdoing by the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office on Tuesday.
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Store employees called police on the morning of Oct. 20 to report a Black male wearing an orange shirt and carrying a revolver and attempting an armed robbery.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}When officers arrived, 26-year-old Dominique Mulkey was holding a black garbage bag full of items.
"For at least 11 seconds, the officers repeatedly shouted commands, including 'Tampa Police—get on the ground!' and 'Get on the ground—show me your hands!' Mulkey ignored these commands and continued to walk down 50th Street, away from the officers," State Attorney Andrew Warren's office said in a press release.
Mulkey then dropped the bag and pulled a handgun from his waist, according to body camera footage taken from the officers at the scene.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Officers shouted more commands, yelling 'Drop the gun!' several times. Instead of dropping the gun, Mulkey—who had been walking away—turned around completely to face the officers and raised his left hand from his waist up to chest height, pointing the gun in the direction of the officers," the statement said.
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“Florida law is clear that anyone — police officer or civilian — can legally use deadly force when put in fear of imminent death or great bodily harm."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“We have determined the facts and evidence of this incident prove the two law enforcement officers reasonably believed they were in fear of imminent death or great bodily harm when they used deadly force.”
Neither officer had any prior record.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mulkey died of a gunshot wound to the head and torso, according to the medical examiner's office.
Family members later revealed he suffered from mental health issues and had a "difficult childhood."
“Every life is precious, which is why we must uphold the highest standard when deadly force is used. This situation is tragic, but the law is clear—when an officer or anyone else has a gun pointed at them, they are allowed to defend themselves; here, they had no other choice,” Warren said.