No Charges for Florida Bystander Who Shot Man Attacking Deputy, Case Officially Closed

Note: This story was originally reported in February 2017 and is now being republished.

There will be no criminal charges filed against Ashad Russell, the bystander who fatally shot a man assaulting a Florida sheriff’s deputy on Interstate 75. According to the Daily Mail, the State Attorney’s Office has officially cleared Russell of any wrongdoing.

Russell, 35, witnessed Lee County Sheriff’s Deputy First Class Dean Bardes being attacked by 53-year-old Edward Strother after a traffic stop for speeding. The situation quickly escalated when Strother allegedly began punching the deputy repeatedly and pinned him down on the highway.

Armed and licensed to carry a concealed weapon, Russell got out of his car to help. Seeing the threat, Deputy Bardes reportedly told Russell to shoot. Despite repeated warnings for Strother to get off the deputy, Russell ultimately fired three shots, hitting Strother in the neck and killing him.

Following an investigation, the State Attorney’s Office concluded that Russell was “justified in using deadly force when he reasonably believed that such force was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm” to Deputy Bardes or to stop the deputy from becoming the victim of a violent felony. The office has now closed the case and will take no further action.

Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott publicly praised Russell’s actions in a Facebook post, calling him a hero for stepping in during a life-threatening moment.

However, not everyone agrees with the outcome. The Washington Post noted that Strother’s brother, Louis Strother, questioned the justification, asking, “They’re calling him a good Samaritan? Did my brother have a gun?”

Despite the differing views, authorities maintain that the bystander’s actions were lawful and prevented a potentially deadly outcome for the deputy.