# Florida sheriff's deputies shoot unarmed man in his own driveway.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-sheriffs-deputies-shoot-unarmed-man-in-his-own-driveway/664882>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 30, 2013, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-sheriffs-deputies-shoot-unarmed-man-in-his-own-driveway/664882 "2013-07-30T04:35:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-sheriffs-deputies-shoot-unarmed-man-in-his-own-driveway/664882/1 "2013-07-30T04:35:52Z")

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What the heck is wrong with the people in Florida? Two deputies unleash 17 bullets at this unarmed guy? :rolleyes: Geez, talk about trigger happy. Next time maybe they’ll just bring a rope and hang him from the nearest tree. This has kind of police over reaction has to stop. They can’t just go around shooting people in their own driveways and homes.

> **[Florida sheriff’s deputies shoot unarmed black man in his own driveway](https://www.nydailynews.com/2013/07/29/florida-sheriffs-deputies-shoot-unarmed-black-man-in-his-own-driveway/)**
>
> Another day in Florida. Two Escambia County sheriff deputies have been placed on paid administrative leave after they opened fire early Sunday morning and shot an unarmed black man in his own drive…

> [@](#):
>
> Roy Middleton, 60, had gone to find cigarettes in his mother’s white Lincoln Town Car, which was parked in the driveway of the man’s home in a quiet neighborhood in the town of Warrington.
> 
> A neighbor, who apparently didn’t recognize Middleton, called 911 to report a possible robbery, and police arrived at the scene at approximately 2:40 a.m.
> 
> Their guns drawn, deputies Jeremiah Meeks and Matthew White told Middleton to put his hands where the officers could see them.
> 
> Middleton told the Pensacola News Journal that he initially believed that the voices were from a neighbor who was playing a joke on him. When he got out of the car, however, the deputies began shooting.  
> \<snip\>  
> Neighbors and relatives describe Middleton as mild-mannered and law abiding, and a teenage girl who witnessed the shooting said she did not see the 60-year-old provoke the incident.
> 
> “He wasn’t belligerent or anything,” the girl told PNJ.

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**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-sheriffs-deputies-shoot-unarmed-man-in-his-own-driveway/664882/2 "2013-07-30T04:58:56Z")

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Here’s the original story from Pensacola News-Journal. There’s also a statement from the Sheriff and the 911 call is posted.  
[http://www.pnj.com/article/20130729/NEWS11/130729006/Mother-of-man-shot-in-his-front-yard-speaks-out?nclick\_check=1](http://www.pnj.com/article/20130729/NEWS11/130729006/Mother-of-man-shot-in-his-front-yard-speaks-out?nclick_check=1)

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**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-sheriffs-deputies-shoot-unarmed-man-in-his-own-driveway/664882/3 "2013-07-30T05:02:07Z")

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Already posted, see this thread:

> **[Unarmed Man Shot by Deputies Inside His Own Car Outside His Own Home](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=697952)**
>
> I’m sure this story will get larger and more problematic the more people hear it. Unlike what the writer - not journalist - writes, he was not shot reaching for cigarettes. That was sarcasm or an outright lie to get your attention. With only the...