Armed man dressed in tactical gear killed by Hillsborough deputies identified as Army veteran

BRANDON, Fla. - The man who was shot and killed by deputies after an incident in Hillsborough County has been identified as a U.S. Army veteran.

The backstory:

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said Vincent Morin, 34, was seen walking down the sidewalk wearing tactical gear and carrying a rifle near Causeway Boulevard in Brandon Wednesday morning. Deputies who responded to the scene were heard on body camera footage ordering Morin to drop his gun.

The sheriff's office said Morin didn't respond to orders to drop the gun, and that's when deputies fired their guns.

Who was Vincent Morin?

For several friends of Morin, the scene was difficult to watch.

"He was not a hostile man by any means," said Morin's friend Kolten Ollom, who served alongside him.

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The other side:

A U.S. Army spokesman said Morin served from 2009-2012 and again from 2014-2020. He was deployed multiple times to Afghanistan and Iraq, and he left the Army as a staff sergeant.

Pictured: Vincent Morin.

What they're saying:

"The Army and the military was his life," Ollom said. "That was what he was dedicated to. That was his niche and what his passion was. So, when he was discharged due to medical injuries, that, I believe, that tore him apart."

Ollom said Morin struggled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after leaving the military. He said some of the actions Morin was seen taking were common practices in military training.

"Seems like he was following protocols of a deployment, and PTSD is what really was the main roots of this entire incident, I think," Ollom said.

Pictured: Vincent Morin.

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Morin's friends said they don't fault law enforcement for acting in this situation.

"Police have to do what they have to do, given the scenario and everything," Ollom said. "I'm not blaming them for anything. Florida is not an open-carry state. I understand that there was school children out and whatnot."

What happens next?

What we don't know:

It's uncertain whether the situation could have been prevented or not, but it's something that Morin's loved ones are now coping with.

What they're saying:

"Every person's different and every situation's different," Ollom said. "So, how do you, how do put a blanket on that? You know, how do you put that all compiled into one resource when everything's unique?"

Morin's friends were saddened to see the incident end the way it did.

What's next:

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident, which is protocol when there's a shooting involving law enforcement officers.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered using information from the U.S. Army and from an interview with a friend and fellow veteran of Vincent Morin. This also contains previous FOX 13 News reports.

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