Deadly use of force justified in Bradenton police shooting, FDLE review says
The fatal shooting by a Bradenton police officer during a March SWAT drug raid was justified, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
At a Friday morning news conference, Bradenton Police Chief Josh Cramer announced the investigation’s findings after the State Attorney’s Office determined Officer Jaden Reppi’s use of deadly force against 56-year-old William Tyrone “Willie” Bell was lawful. The shooting prompted calls for greater police transparency from Bell’s family and community activists.
Reppi, who was placed on administrative leave after the shooting, has since returned to full duty, according to police.
The shooting drew months of scrutiny as Bell’s family sought the release of body-camera footage and questioned the department’s account of what led to Bell’s death.
“We recognize that the time required to complete this investigation has been difficult for many members of our community,” the department said Friday, adding that the lack of immediate answers “allowed speculation and incomplete accounts of the incident to circulate.”
Cramer said police could not publicly respond to rumors or release investigative details while FDLE’s review was underway.
“We’re not going to comment on those things because we don’t want to corrupt their investigation,” Cramer said.
Reppi fired his weapon, killing Bell, on March 10 after Bradenton police went to Bell’s home in the 300 block of 10th Avenue W. as part of a narcotics investigation. According to the department, officers knocked and announced their presence before breaching a bedroom window, where they found Bell standing near the foot of the bed holding a revolver pointed toward them.
Cramer said officers gave Bell at least six commands to drop the gun and show his hands before Reppi fired. When asked Friday how much time passed between officers seeing the gun and the shooting, Cramer said it was only a few seconds.
Following the shooting, Bell’s family questioned the department’s account of what happened, saying Bell was partially paralyzed and disputing whether he had been pointing a gun at officers. At Friday’s news conference, Cramer said the body camera footage shows Bell standing at the foot of the bed with the revolver in his hand pointed toward officers.
“A man with a gun in his hand pointed in the direction of officers is a man with a gun in his hand pointed in the direction of officers,” Cramer said.
Friday also marked the public release of body-camera footage from the shooting, which Bell’s family had sought for months as they called for greater transparency in the investigation.
According to Bradenton police, FDLE reviewed witness interviews, body-worn camera footage, physical evidence, the medical examiner’s report and other evidence before forwarding its findings to the State Attorney’s Office.
Police said detectives recovered four firearms from the home, including the revolver they said Bell was holding, along with 46.1 grams of MDMA, 31.4 grams of marijuana and 4.4 grams of crack cocaine.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
This story was originally published July 17, 2026 at 3:26 PM.
