Florida sheriff says ‘We shot him a lot’ after a man pulled a gun on deputies to prepare for gunfight

Florida sheriff says ‘We shot him a lot’ after a man pulled a gun on deputies to prepare for gunfight

A 46-year-old Florida man was fatally shot by Polk County deputies after authorities said he refused repeated commands, rammed a patrol vehicle, and reached into the back seat of his SUV for a stolen handgun during an attempted arrest at a Lakeland shopping center.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd identified the man as Larry Renaldo Riles and said deputies had located him after a license plate reader alerted them that he was wanted for violating probation. During a press conference carried by WFLA News Channel 8, Judd said three deputies opened fire only after Riles appeared to be loading the semiautomatic weapon and preparing to engage them in a gunfight.

“We shot him a lot,” Judd said. “As soon as he was neutralized and he dropped the gun, we pulled him from the vehicle and started life-saving measures.”

Riles was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. The 10th Judicial Circuit Officer Involved Deadly Incident Task Force is investigating the shooting, and the sheriff’s account represents the preliminary version of events provided by law enforcement.

License Plate Reader Identified a Wanted Vehicle

Judd said deputies were circulating near Wabash Avenue and Memorial Boulevard when a license plate reader detected a dark blue Chevrolet Captiva connected to an outstanding probation-violation warrant.

The sheriff said Riles apparently noticed law enforcement nearby and backed into a parking space in front of a Subway restaurant, positioning the vehicle so its rear license plate was difficult for deputies to see.

Three deputies eventually found the SUV and used a patrol vehicle to block it in.

They got out, identified themselves, and repeatedly ordered Riles to step from the vehicle, according to Judd, but he refused to comply.

The sheriff said the SUV’s windows were covered with dark tint, making it difficult for deputies to see Riles’ movements inside. When the vehicle began rolling forward, deputies broke a window and attempted to use a Taser rather than immediately opening fire.

That detail was central to Judd’s description of the encounter, because he argued that deputies continued trying to take Riles into custody without using deadly force even as he resisted and attempted to move the SUV.

SUV Rammed a Patrol Vehicle

Judd said Riles drove forward and struck the patrol car that was blocking his escape, although he was unable to move it far enough to leave the parking space.

At that point, the sheriff said Riles reached into the back seat and retrieved what appeared to be a 9mm semiautomatic handgun.

Deputies saw him begin to rack a round into the weapon, Judd said, and believed they had only seconds to respond before he could fire.

“As he’s starting to rack a round into the firearm to engage our deputies, we shot him,” the sheriff said.

Judd later summarized the speed of the confrontation by describing deputies arriving, issuing several commands, breaking the window, attempting to deploy a Taser, and then seeing the handgun appear.

“It happened in seconds,” he said.

Four deputies were at the scene, according to the sheriff, and three of them fired their weapons. None of the deputies was injured.

Officers facing a visible firearm cannot be expected to wait until a suspect finishes loading or fires the first shot, although the independent investigation will still need to review body-camera footage, store surveillance, physical evidence, and each deputy’s actions.

Gun Had Been Stolen in Lakeland

The firearm recovered from the SUV had been stolen from a vehicle in Lakeland on June 24, Judd said.

Authorities had not yet completed processing the weapon at the time of the press conference, but the sheriff described it as a semiautomatic handgun and said its stolen status had already been established.

Judd also said the vehicle Riles was driving had been stolen, though the WFLA report focused mainly on the probation warrant and the gun recovered after the shooting.

The sheriff gave a detailed account of Riles’ criminal history, saying he had previously been arrested in Hillsborough County for an aggravated offense involving a deadly weapon and later faced a grand theft case in Polk County.

Judd criticized earlier case outcomes that reduced felony accusations to misdemeanors and allowed Riles to remain on probation.

The sheriff said Riles later tested positive for methamphetamine during a required drug screening, served additional time, and was released under modified probation. When a probation officer ordered another test in early June, Judd said Riles ran from the appointment, leading to the warrant deputies were attempting to serve.

Those earlier accusations and convictions provided context for why deputies were looking for him, but they did not by themselves justify the use of deadly force. The decisive issue in the shooting will be whether deputies reasonably perceived an immediate threat when Riles allegedly reached for and began loading the gun.

Sheriff Defends Deputies’ Response

Judd repeatedly placed responsibility for the fatal outcome on Riles, saying he had several opportunities to surrender before reaching for the weapon.

“He could have given up when we blocked his vehicle in,” Judd said. “He could have given up when he started rolling forward and we broke the window out.”

The sheriff said Riles instead chose to ram the patrol car and retrieve a firearm from the back seat.

“We were quicker than he was,” Judd said. “There’s the quick and the dead, and the suspect’s dead.”

His language was unusually blunt, particularly his later statement that Riles had “asked to be shot” and that deputies had obliged him. That style is familiar in Judd’s public appearances, but the seriousness of a fatal police shooting still requires a careful review that extends beyond forceful remarks at an early press conference.

Judd said the deputies did not arrive wanting a gunfight and emphasized that they first issued commands and attempted to use a Taser.

“They were trained and they were ready, and they’re going to go home safe tonight,” he said.

The sheriff also warned that anyone who points or prepares to use a firearm against Polk County deputies should expect a decisive response.

“If you try to attack our deputies with a firearm, we’re going to shoot you,” he said. “We’re going to shoot you a lot.”

Shooting Unfolded in a Public Shopping Center

The confrontation happened in the parking lot of the Wabash shopping center near George Jenkins Boulevard and North Wabash Avenue, creating an obvious danger to employees, motorists, and anyone arriving at nearby businesses.

Judd said the early hour meant relatively few people were present, but he acknowledged that the shooting occurred in a highly public location.

“We don’t choose the locations of shootouts, but we respond to the locations of shootouts,” he said.

Lisa Jones, an employee working inside the Subway, told WFLA that she ducked when she heard the shots because she did not know where the bullets were traveling.

Her vehicle was parked close to Riles’ SUV, and she said she was relieved to have been inside rather than standing in the parking lot.

“I’m glad I wasn’t outside,” Jones said.

The presence of workers and nearby vehicles underscores how dangerous the encounter could have become if shots had traveled into a storefront or if Riles had managed to drive away while armed.

Judd said store surveillance existed and would be released when the investigation concluded. He said the footage reviewed so far appeared to support the preliminary statements given by the deputies.

Uber Sign Raises Additional Concerns

Riles’ family told investigators that he worked as an Uber driver, and deputies found an Uber sign displayed in the front windshield, according to Judd.

The sheriff used that detail to argue that the license plate reader may have prevented an unsuspecting passenger from entering a vehicle driven by a wanted man who allegedly possessed a stolen firearm.

“Can you imagine getting in the car with this dude with him on violation of probation in possession of a stolen handgun?” Judd asked.

Uber later said Riles’ access to its platform had been removed the previous year, meaning the sign did not necessarily show that he was still actively accepting rides through the company.

That distinction matters because the sheriff’s broader warning was based largely on information from the family and the sign in the windshield rather than confirmation that Riles was still an authorized driver.

Even so, the discovery raised questions about why the sign remained visible and whether members of the public might have believed the vehicle was operating as a legitimate rideshare car.

Judd Uses Case to Defend License Plate Readers

The sheriff also used the shooting to defend the department’s use of automated license plate readers, which scan vehicle tags in public areas and compare them with law-enforcement databases.

Judd said the technology did not invade private spaces and was used to locate wanted suspects, stolen vehicles, and vulnerable missing people, including those with Alzheimer’s disease.

“This license plate reader on the side of the road in a public space only looking at tag numbers and colors of vehicles potentially stopped you from getting in an Uber with a guy with a stolen firearm and on probation,” he said.

Critics of license plate readers often raise concerns about data retention, tracking, and misuse, but Judd said employees who improperly accessed the information would be held accountable.

The encounter does illustrate the technology’s value in quickly locating a vehicle connected to a warrant, although that benefit does not eliminate the need for firm rules governing how long information is stored and who may search it.

Independent Investigation Remains Underway

The names of the deputies involved were not immediately released because Judd said a new state law required authorities to wait 72 hours before identifying them.

The sheriff said investigators would review body-camera recordings, store surveillance, the stolen handgun, the damaged vehicles, and statements from the officers and witnesses.

Riles’ relatives had been notified of his death.

Judd presented the shooting as a clear case of deputies responding to an immediate armed threat, but the formal task-force investigation will determine whether the physical and video evidence supports every part of that account.

What is already clear is that an attempt to serve a probation warrant became a fatal encounter within seconds after Riles allegedly refused to exit, tried to move the SUV, rammed a patrol car, and reached for a stolen gun.

The public location, the nearby employees, and the speed of the confrontation left little room for error, while the coming investigation will be responsible for determining whether the deputies’ use of deadly force complied with department policy and Florida law.