Florida deputy killed in shootout outside Dollar General store

A sheriff’s lawman was changeable and killed successful a shootout with a fishy extracurricular a store successful Florida connected Wednesday, according to authorities who accidental the decease has near them successful daze and disbelief.  

Deputy Will May, 38, died aft helium responded to a telephone of a idiosyncratic trespassing wrong a Dollar General store successful Walton County successful West Florida astir 2 p.m., Sheriff Michael Adkinson of the Walton County Sheriff's Office said astatine a property briefing Wednesday.

While inside, May engaged successful a brief, 10-to-15-second chat with the fishy earlier helium escorted the antheral retired of the store from behind.

"That’s erstwhile the fishy pulled retired a weapon and opened occurrence connected May," Adkinson said. 

Deputy Will May, 38, died aft helium responded to a telephone of a idiosyncratic trespassing wrong a Dollar General store successful Walton County successful West Florida (Walton County Sheriff's Office)

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"That fishy drew a firearm and fired aggregate rounds, striking Deputy Will May," Adkinson said. "Deputy May, to his large idiosyncratic recognition and courage, was capable to gully his firearm and instrumentality fire."

May changeable and killed the fishy and managed to vigor for help. Other deputies arrived connected the country a abbreviated clip aboriginal and provided lifesaving efforts, but May succumbed to his injuries 4 hours aboriginal astatine hospital.

"[Deputy] Will fought the full time, from returning occurrence connected the scene, to warring for his ain life," Adkinson said. "I americium struggling connected behalf of this enactment to marque consciousness of this due to the fact that I tin archer you there's perfectly thing tactically incorrect with what Deputy May did."

The country wherever Deputy Will May was changeable and killed. (Walton County Sheriff's Office)

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Adkinson said determination was nary denotation that the fishy was susceptible of specified unit and May was not going to apprehension him. 

May was not expected to beryllium moving yesterday, and helium came successful to supply assistance, with the incidental being the past telephone connected his shift, Adkinson said.

The deadly incidental took spot astatine Mossy Head adjacent DeFuniak Springs and at least 18 rounds were fired during the shootout. There were nary different injuries. 

"Deputy May was wearing a ballistic vest," Adkinson said. That vest did halt aggregate rounds from the suspect. One of the rounds went underneath the vest, which yet caused his death."

Sheriff Michael Adkinson of the Walton County Sheriff's Office astatine a property briefing Wednesday. (Walton County Sheriff's Office)

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May became a lawman successful 2019 but began moving for the section successful 2014 arsenic a communications officer. 

He leaves down a woman and 2 teenage children.

The deceased fishy was not named and Adkinson said that helium had nary anterior arrests. There was "nothing that would bespeak immoderate level of violence," helium said. 

"The taxable was a concealed limb licence holder," Adkinson said. "He had different weapons successful his residence erstwhile we searched it. But thing to bespeak violence. In fact, helium had not been arrested by this organization."