“Polk County Deputy Shoots and Kills Man Armed with Knife, Sheriff Reports”

In Polk County, Florida, a man was shot and killed by a deputy after allegedly moving forward with a knife, as reported by Sheriff Grady Judd.

The incident took place at approximately 11:30 p.m. near a commercial area at the junction of U.S. 92 and Combee Road, the sheriff stated during a press briefing early on Saturday.

According to Judd, the individual involved, John Snyder, aged 37, was wanted for charges related to burglary and theft, and law enforcement had been attempting to apprehend him for those offenses in the days leading up to the incident.

“He ran from our deputies on Tuesday. Then on Thursday evening, he met with his mother. He hugged her and said, ‘It’s the last time that we’ll see each other,‘” Judd said.

Judd named Deputy Goodman — whom he described as a veteran who’s been with the sheriff’s office for four and a half years — as the one who located Snyder on Friday night, doing so in front of the McDonald’s at U.S. 92 and Combee Road. When Deputy Goodman attempted to take Snyder into custody, Judd said that Snyder “immediately resisted, pushed the deputy off and started to run.”

“All this is subject to modification, but we do know that John resisted, that we tased him or attempted to tase him. He ran, and he ran east along the sidewalk in front of McDonald’s and in front of this complex that we’re standing at now,” Judd said, speaking at the scene.

Deputy Goodman had called for assistance, and as two more deputies arrived to the scene, Judd said that Snyder turned back around and pulled out a knife.

“(Snyder) told the deputy, ‘I have a knife.’ The deputy told him several times to drop the knife. He continued to advance on the deputy and Deputy Goodman shot him several times,” Judd said. “It was not Deputy Sheriff Goodman’s choice to shoot John Snyder. It was John Snyder’s choice for Deputy Goodman to shoot him, and we obliged him.“

Deputies began life-saving measures “to no avail,” the sheriff said.

No deputies were injured in the incident, according to the sheriff’s office.

The shooting will be investigated by the 10th Judicial Circuit’s Officer-Involved Deadly Incident (OIDI) Task Force before the results are turned over to State Attorney Brian Haas for final review, according to Judd.