A Florida deputy shooting is making headline news today. Cedric Bartee, an unarmed black man, was shot by a white deputy, and people are outraged. According to the Huffington Post, 28-year-old Bartee stole a car, but when he was approached by police, he reportedly had his hands up. He was shot anyway — by a white police officer — and he was critically injured.
“I ask everyone to not rush to judgment and allow the investigation to be completed,” Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said at a news conference in Orlando.
Investigators said deputies found two men getting inside a stolen car at the Timberleaf Apartments on Timbersound Boulevard. When deputies ordered the men out of the car, one of the men complied, but the other man made suspicious movements, according to investigators.
Fearing for his life, one of the deputies fired at the suspect, investigators said.
“The driver continued to make movements inside the vehicle. At that point, additional commands were given to comply that was not done. The deputy feared for his safety, that he was going to be harmed,” said Sheriff’s Office Capt. Angelo Nieves.
