Bradenton officer shot man who drove at him, police say. Cops refuse to name officer
Investigations are underway after a Bradenton police officer shot a man suspected of trespassing at the Blue Boy Motel near downtown Bradenton and threatening the manager with a knife.
At about 10 a.m., three police officers were dispatched to the motel at 1839 14th St. W., Bradenton, in response to the manager’s 911 call.
When the first officer, who police declined to identify, arrived to the motel, the manager told him “he pulled a knife on me just now.” The officer found the suspect, later identified as Charles William Mickel III, and managed to get the knife away from him, according to an updated news release emailed by police.
According to police, two additional officers arrived at the motel and Mickel got into his car and tried to drive off, but almost hit one of the officers as he was backing up. Mickel then drove forward at the initial officer, hitting the officer and throwing him onto his windshield.
The officer then fired his gun at Mickel through the windshield, hitting the suspect, according to police. The officer was then thrown from the windshield as Mickel drove off.
Other officers and command staff rushed to the scene after, “Shots fired. Send Ambulance. Shots fired. Send ambulance,” was called over the police radio.
Mickel returned to the motel only a minute later, according to the police account. Officers then approached him and began giving him first aid until an ambulance arrived. He was taken to Blake Medical Center, accompanied by a police officer, to be treated for his injuries.
The three involved officers were immediately taken to the police station. The primary officer, who has not yet been identified, was also taken to a local hospital to be treated after requesting medical attention once at the station. The back-up officers were with peer counselors.
Police refuse to release name of officer
The police department promised to be transparent with its investigation of the shooting on Thursday but later reversed course, and invoked Marsy’s Law — a Florida law approved by voters in 2018 and intended to protect the privacy of crime victims — in refusing to release the officer’s name
Body cameras did capture the incident and the department was already working on downloading the video footage from all three officers’ cameras, according to Bradenton police spokesman Capt. Brian Thiers. Based on a longstanding agreement, the Florida Department of Enforcement was on the scene and investigating the use of lethal force by the officer.
The department said Thursday evening that it should have more information to release Friday.
Thiers could not confirm whether either of the backup officers had also fired their weapons.
Internal affairs investigators were also at the scene, as was Bradenton Police Chief Melanie Bevan and Mayor Gene Brown, the city’s police commissioner. Neither spoke to reporters.
The officer who shot Mickel has officer has been placed on an administrative assignment — breaking standard protocol which is to place the officer on paid administrative leave. No update was provided on the status of the other two officers.
Mickel, 41, is facing charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with a motor vehicle and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 11:10 AM.
