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Family: Former officer shot by deputy suffered from vision loss
The daughter of the retired Tampa police sergeant who was fatally wounded inside his home released a detailed statement describing her father and the circumstances the family says occurred during the deputy-involved shooting.
TAMPA, Fla. - The Hillsborough State Attorney's Office has concluded the fatal shooting of an 88-year-old man by an HCSO deputy was justified.
Prosecutors said Monday that the fatal shooting of Ronald Ehrich last December by a Hillsborough County deputy was justified because the deputy "reasonably believed she was in fear of imminent death or great bodily harm" when she fired her weapon. The deputy also had no duty to retreat, the State Attorney's Office said in a statement.
"Accordingly, there is no legal basis for criminal charges against the deputy," said the statement.
The deputy's name was withheld in the State Attorney's Office statement but she had previously been identified as Deputy Anastacia Castillo. Video released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office last December showed the deputy repeatedly trying to de-escalate the situation.
PREVIOUS: Deputy shoots, kills armed elderly Riverview man during in-home welfare check
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Full bodycam video: Deputy shoots elderly man during welfare check
Body-worn camera footage provided by the sheriff's office shows the entire confrontation between a deputy and the elderly Riverview man who pulled a gun on her as she was checking on him at his home. (Some audio and video censored by HCSO.)
She went to the home in Riverview after a neighbor asked for a well-being check on Ehrich, a retired Tampa police officer. The neighbor was concerned because she had not seen Ehrich for at least two days and had noticed his garage door was open.
In the video, the deputy repeatedly identified herself as she made her way through the home, saying "sheriff’s office" as she knocked on walls and doors. Once upstairs, she opened doors to bedrooms until Ehrich finally answered from behind a closed door.
She explained that she was just there to check on him. Then she apparently saw he was armed and took cover as she called for backup. The deputy’s body camera footage showed her retreating down a hallway after he opened the bedroom door with the handgun.
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Deputy shoots retired officer who refused to drop weapon
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting death of a Riverview man by a Hillsborough County deputy.
She backed into a bedroom, continuing to plead with Elrich to put the gun down.
"As she was asking him to drop the weapon, she said, 'Please don't make me do this,'" Sheriff Chad Chronister said back in December.
RELATED: Family says retired Tampa officer was not wearing hearing aid, glasses prior to being shot by deputy
She fired after he moved within a few steps of her. Ehrich received emergency medical treatment at the scene and died at a hospital. An autopsy determined he died from gunshot wounds to the head and chest, the statement said.
"If you examine what happened…what could she have done different? He continued his aggressive action towards her," Chronister had said. "She’s making every effort to deescalate this situation."
The investigation was conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.