Florida man armed with a sword took on a deputy and a SWAT team. The results were fatal.
Four bean bag shots and three tasers couldn’t stop a drunk Florida man armed with a foot-long saber. When he decided to run at a deputy with sword in hand, he was shot, authorities say.
Friday evening, Indian River County Sheriff’s deputies were called out to Michael Kifer’s home for the third time that day. He had been drunk or on drugs during their previous visits, deputies said.
When deputies got to Kifer’s, 29, home, they learned that Kifer was armed with a knife and threatening to hurt someone over the phone.
Kifer started to run when he saw the deputies, but soon after he reappeared with a small hatchet. Deciding to run again, deputies gave chase. This time Kifer went back into his house.
After several tries to talk to Kifer, deputies called in the SWAT team.
They breached the front door and tried to call out to Kifer. He quickly moved into his bedroom. This didn’t stop SWAT has they breached his room window. Instead of a hatchet, Kifer was now holding a 12-inch sword.
He shouted, “Shoot me!”
SWAT fired four beanbag rounds at him, but they had no effect on Kifer as continued to run throughout the house.
Still armed with his sword, Kifer would occasionally pop out and shout at deputies. Authorities took this chance to Taser him, but it had no effect.
As deputies followed him, he was still shouting “Shoot me,” when deputies fired two more Taser rounds as he ran out the house. They still had no effect on him.
At this time, Kifer decided to charge at a deputy with his sword. The deputy shot him once with live ammo before he could get to them, deputies said.
Indian River County Fire Rescue took Kifer to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center where he died from his injuries early morning Saturday.
The deputy who shot Kifer was put on paid administrative leave which the sheriff’s office said is standard protocol for incidents such as this.
“Kifer was set on committing suicide by law enforcement last night and he forced our hand where we had to take action. These are unfortunate situations but we are proud of the work of the brave men and women of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office who did their best last night to bring this very dangerous situation to a resolution,” Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loa said in a statement.
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