Sheriff: Deputies fatally shoot man armed with shotgun

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Authorities say Florida deputies fatally shot a suicidal man who pointed a gun at them.

A Polk County Sheriff’s Office statement says 20-year-old Chance Christopher Haegele died Tuesday night near his Winter Haven home.

The release says deputies responded after friends and family members reported Haegele had posted on social media that he was going to kill himself with a 12-gauge shotgun. When the deputies arrived at Haegele’s home, they saw him struggling with his mother before running away.

Deputies say the caught up with Haegele and ordered him to drop the shotgun. They say Haegele pointed the weapon at one deputy, prompting that deputy and another to open fire. Haegele died at the scene.

No deputies were injured.

Haegele was white. The race of the deputies wasn’t immediately reported.