MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – A man who called 911 Sunday saying he wanted to shoot somebody was shot and killed by deputies during a standoff outside of a Middleburg mobile home, the Clay County Sheriff's Office said.
Michael Altice, 61, called police to tell them that he wanted to shoot someone and die of a suicide by cop, officials said.
When police arrived at Altice’s mobile home near the intersection of Cosmos and Calendula avenues, he came out and pointed a gun at them, officials said.
Authorities said Altice wouldn’t drop his weapon and police were forced to shoot him.
News4Jax crime analyst Gil Smith said even if the police knew Altice wanted police to kill him, there was still no way for officers to know what he intended to do.
"Once he points the gun at the police officer, then they have no other choice than to fire at him because it could take just a second for that person to shoot at, or kill police," Smith said. "Even if he did say he wanted suicide by cop, there is just no way police could know what a person would do."
Neighbors told News4Jax they saw the standoff unfold over a period of nearly three hours.
“They was surrounding him with assault guns and they took his life,” a neighbor said. “He presented himself in such a way that they had to (shoot him).”
Sheriff Rick Beseler said Altice had family members inside the mobile home during the standoff. Beseler said Altice had been staying in the mobile home for a month as a guest.
Authorities have not released the names of the two officers involved in the shooting. Beseler said the officers have never been involved in a shooting before.
Beseler said Altice was distraught about family issues that pushed him toward suicide. Beseler said Altice's mental health played a role in the cause of the standoff.
“Part of the larger problem is with mental health care,” Beseler said. “(The) last time I talked to media was suicide by cop was well. We need to get a handle on it through better mental health treatment."
The two officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave for three days and will undergo counseling for the next 12 months.
"In a case like this, you have very young officers that have been in the department for one, two years," Smith said. "It is very difficult sometimes for police to deal with the situation. It's not that they want to kill someone, it's because they have a gun pointed at them and they had no choice."