BSO deputies fatally shot man barricaded inside Pompano Beach mansion: officials
.jpg "Two deputies fatally shot a man inside a Pompano Beach mansion Tuesday night, Sept. 16, 2025, who the Broward Sheriff’s Office said was attacking a police dog.")
Two deputies fatally shot a man beating one of their police dogs with a drone following a long standoff at a Pompano Beach oceanfront mansion Tuesday, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.
The man, 38-year-old Esterlin Appolon, barricaded himself inside a multi-million dollar house at the 2300 block of Bay Drive. Deputies were called to the house around 1:20 p.m. because it was supposed to be vacant, said BSO spokeswoman Miranda Grossman.
When deputies arrived, Appolon ran to the third floor and holed up inside a bedroom, Grossman said.
A sheriff’s office tactical team and hostage negotiators spent hours trying to talk Appolon into coming outside, Grossman said, adding that he eventually said he was going to “force deputies to shoot him.”
Deputies flew a small drone inside the home, where they saw he was in the bedroom and armed, per the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Gregory Tony told reporters during a briefing Tuesday night that Appolon fired at the drone. When the drone reached the bedroom, they saw he had a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Grossman said.
Deputies sent in a second drone and a dog. Tony said Appolon managed to grab one of the drones and attacked the dog with it.
“Deputies were forced to fire their weapons” and killed him, said Grossman.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting, as is protocol in the state when an officer fires his or her weapon. Grossman said the sheriff’s office’s Homicide and Crime Scene detectives are also investigating what led to the shooting.
The two deputies who shot Appolon are on administrative leave pending the investigation, which is also department protocol in police shootings.
