Two Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies have been placed on paid leave after fatally shooting a man in Pompano Beach, Florida. Friday night. Neighbors who were present at the time of the shooting say the man was shot in the back six times as he ate chicken wings. BSO has not yet confirmed that.
Deputies were responding to a call about a domestic disturbance. His sister, Deborah, had called 911 because he had been arguing with her daughter. He had a knife in his hand—the small, Swiss Army-style pocket knife that he always carried, she told dispatchers.
“I never would have called the cops if I’d known this was going to happen,” Deborah Frazier says. “They just came in and started shooting right away.”
By the time deputies arrived, the argument was over, and witnesses say Gregory Frazier – who lived at the home – was sitting outside in his backyard eating chicken wings and fries. The deputies were directed to the back yard, where Frazier, 56, was. Quartaze Woodard, Frazier’s nephew, who was at the scene, says three deputies showed up and told Frazier to get down on the ground. Frazier allegedly responded, “Leave me alone.” The deputies repeated the order. Again, Frazier asked them to leave him alone. After that, Woodard says, the officers shot him. Then, after handcuffing him, and removing the handcuffs once they realized he was non-responsive, they attempted to perform CPR. It was too late.
Pastor Miguel Rosa, who lives next door, reportedly believes at least five shots were fired. The incident is currently under investigation, and both deputies have been placed on administrative leave. The Broward Sherriff’s Office has released the recording of the 911 call on its website.
“When deputies arrived, someone in the house directed them to the backyard where they encountered the subject who produced a knife,” describes the report posted on the Sheriff’s Office website. “Both deputies fired their weapons. Per BSO policy, they were placed on administrative leave.”
Friends and family say Pompano Beach in particular, and Broward County in general, needs officers who better reflect the populations they serve.
“It’s too much,” says Sarahca Peterson, a friend of the Frazier family and a community activist. “There has to be change. They need to face criminal charges. If I kill someone, I’m going to jail. They shouldn’t be out there on the streets.”
