Driver who crashed through Florida school gate shot dead by cop on campus, police say
An officer shot and killed a man who police say crashed a van through a high school gate Friday afternoon and fought with employees.
The man, who has not been identified, crashed through the gates of Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in downtown West Palm Beach, police say.
The van knocked over a palm tree, just missed a maintenance worker on a golf cart and crashed through several beams on the school’s breezeway, West Palm Beach police spokesman Michael Jachles told reporters during a news briefing.
The school is near the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and a shopping area called Rosemary Square, formerly CityPlace.
The man, who Jachles said was “acting erratically,” then ran to the school’s auditorium, where he got into an altercation with school staff.
A minute after police received the call from the school about the man, a city police officer arrived and became involved in the struggle, Jachles said. During the fight, the officer shot and killed the man. Jachles said it’s not clear if the man was armed, but he said the officer was justified in using deadly force.
“An intruder on a school campus crashes through gates, acting erratically and violently, nonetheless, is going to be dealt with appropriately,” Jachles said. He also added that, “A vehicle is a deadly weapon.”
Jachles said he did not know how many shots the officer fired.
Although school was in session when the shooting happened, no students were in that part of the auditorium, nor did any student witness the man get shot, Jachles said.
Immediately after the man was shot, other responding West Palm Beach police officers began first aid, as did firefighters, but he died on campus, Jachles said.
The officer who pulled the trigger is on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in police shootings, Jachles said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Palm Beach County Schools Police and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office are investigating the shooting.
This story was originally published May 13, 2022 at 4:53 PM.
