Putnam deputies kill Pomona Park man

Victim's aunt called 911 for wellness check for nephew

Alfred Dobson

POMONA PARK, Fla. – A deputy with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office shot and killed a Pomona Park man Thursday night.

About 9 p.m., deputies responded to a disturbance-in-progress call at 995 Old Welaka Road, according to the Sheriff's Office.

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Investigators said a deputy shot 35-year-old Alfred Dobson, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dobson lived at the home with his aunt, who called deputies to do a wellness check on him. When they arrived, things turned physical and ended with deputies shooting and killing Dobson, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Ann Miner, Dobson's aunt, said she watched in horror as a fight between her nephew and police escalated.

"Alfred was a good person," Miner said. "He had his flaws, like all of us do, but he was a good person."

Miner cared for Dobson, who suffered from schizophrenia. She said he was acting up all weekend after getting new medication Friday. She was told to call 911 and ask for a wellness check so he could be committed under the Baker Act, which provides temporary detention for mental health evaluation and treatment, if needed.

When deputies arrived, Miner said, Dobson complied with their orders to put his arms up, but then things took a turn, and she witnessed it all from her front porch.

"They said, 'Alfred, Alfred, come on,'" Miner said. "And by the time they got along right there, Alfred just turned and jumped on the police right there and knocked them over the fence. The other police came up and was hitting them, and they Tased him, and that didn't do no good, and started hitting Alfred in the back with, I guess, the black stick or whatever, and Alfred broke loose from him and went after the police, and that's when it happened."

Miner said Dobson was unarmed.

Mayfield Pates considered himself a father figure to Dobson. He would often take him on landscaping jobs to help him out when needed. Pates said Dobson had his differences, but didn't deserve to be killed.

At the request of Putnam County Sheriff Jeff Hardy, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the deputy-involved shooting.

All of the deputies involved are on administrative leave.