2 Sarasota deputies cleared in shooting death of Bradenton man during traffic stop

SARASOTA -- Two Sarasota County sheriff's deputies used justifiable force when they shot and killed a Bradenton man during a traffic stop in June, according to the sheriff's office and the state attorney's office.

An investigation found that Sgt. Troy Sasse and Deputy Shaw's response when they killed Rodney Mitchell, was "lawful and within agency policies," a sheriff's office news release states.

The deputies on June 11 stopped Mitchell in the Newtown neighborhood for a traffic violation. During the encounter, investigators say Mitchell drove towards one of the deputies, who then opened fire.

A passenger in Mitchell's car, his 16-year-old cousin Dorian Gilmer, was not hurt.

"In its review of this investigation, the State Attorney’s Office noted that Mitchell’s license was suspended for DUI and was issued a citation for driving on a suspended license during a traffic stop in May 2012. At his court appearance a week before the shooting, the judge told Mitchell that the State was seeking 30 days in jail and if he continued to drive the amount of time he would spend in jail was going to 'keep escalating,'" the news release states.

When investigators asked Gilmer why Mitchell fled from the deputies, Gilmer responded, “I know he didn’t want to go to jail. He had a lot to lose," the release states.

This story was originally published August 7, 2012 at 1:54 PM with the headline "2 Sarasota deputies cleared in shooting death of Bradenton man during traffic stop."