A Florida man was shot after pointing a “BB gun that resembled a realistic-looking rifle” at officers in the Orlando area, police said.
According to Chief Charles Broadway, Matthew Wagner, 20, was shot on Thursday afternoon in Kissimmee. The incident occurred when police responded to a “911 call about a man carrying a rifle” near a shopping area.
“When our officers arrived at the scene, they encountered an individual with a rifle. Officers issued multiple verbal commands and warned him to lower the weapon,” Broadway explained.
“The individual then aimed the rifle at the officers, prompting them to open fire in order to protect themselves and nearby individuals. The officers immediately provided medical assistance until emergency medical services arrived to take the individual to a local hospital,” he added.
The rifle was a Daisy Christmas Wish Red Ryder, according to Fox 35 Orlando. (Fox 35 Orlando/Kiss)
“An early review of the evidence found the rifle to be a BB gun that resembled a realistic-looking rifle,” he also said.
It’s unclear if Wagner will face charges.
“I [saw] a young man with a gun in his hand… and he looked like he was looking up at the trees,” witness Dexter Brown told Fox35 Orlando. “He was walking very slow… like he was hunting for birds or squirrels or whatever. I don’t know what it was.”
Police respond to the scene of the incident in Kissimmee, Fla., on Thursday, May 29. (Fox 35 Orlando)
The station reported that the BB rifle is a Daisy Christmas Wish Red Ryder.
