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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
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Florida Sheriff & Deputy|Sued in Fatal Shooting

OCALA, Fla. (CN) - A deputy sheriff shot a man to death after knocking on the wrong door, the man's parents claim in a lawsuit against the deputy and Lake County sheriff.

Andrew Lee Scott was shot to death in the door of his apartment around 1:30 a.m. on July 15, 2012, his parents Amy Young and John Scott claim in Federal Court. Scott's girlfriend Miranda Mauck also is a plaintiff. They sued Lake County Sheriff Gary Borders and his Officer Richard Sylvester.

Sylvester "banged on the door" of Mauck's apartment in Leesburg in the early morning, "in such a manner to bewilder or frighten the residents and foreseeably place said residents in a defense posture," the complaint states.

Scott and Mauck were watching TV. Neither one was being investigated for anything, nor was their home, Apartment 114, the complaint states.

Scott, fearing for their safety, went to the bedroom for his legally owned handgun and opened the door. Sylvester, who was hiding between a fence and the door, fired six shots, striking Scott four times and killing him, the complaint states. Mauck was struck by glass and debris.

At the time Lake County Sheriff's officers were helping Leesburg Police look for a man suspected of battery. Sylvester thought the suspect had sped by him on a motorcycle, and allegedly found the motorcycle parked in front of Apartment 114.

Sylvester and several other deputies approached the door and banged on it without identifying themselves as law enforcement, plaintiffs' attorney Mark NeJame, of Orlando, said after the shooting.

The shooting, 5 months after the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, also in Florida, caused another nationwide furor.

Scott's parents and Mauck seek punitive damages for wrongful death, assault, civil rights violations, false imprisonment, vicarious liability, and emotional distress.

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