ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe found the shooting involving a Pinellas County deputy was justified, according to a news release.
A letter was sent to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, March 4, stating the deputy had reason to believe the men accused of firing their weapons at the deputy were to harm him.
The letter reads:
"As a result of the investigation conducted by my office, I have determined that Deputy Richard Curry was in the lawful performance of his legal duties when he discharged his weapon at Marquis Golden and Delvin Ford.
"Marquis Golden and Delvin Ford's actions of raising their firearms and subsequently firing them at Deputy Curry constituted the offenses of Aggravated Assault and Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer. Deputy Richard Curry had reason to believe that Marquis Golden and Delvin Ford posed a danger of great bodily harm or death to him when he fired his weapon."
The original story is below.
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A traffic investigation led to a deadly deputy-involved shooting Thursday night, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said multiple-agencies were following a black car that was driving erratically in Clearwater. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said it set up outside the home the car's license plate was registered to as they continued to investigate.
Gualtieri said one of his deputies was set up behind the house in an unmarked cruiser when a man approached the car. The man looked in the deputy's windshield and also walked around the side of the car.
When the deputy rolled his window down the man noticed the deputy was in a uniform and said: "Oh, you're a troll."
The man walked back into the home and minutes later returned with another man, 23-year-old Delvin Ford, according to the sheriff's office. The men were holding guns and pointing them at the deputy, Gualtieri said.
When the deputy got out of his car, the two men started firing rounds at him, according to Gualtieri. The deputy ran for cover in the alleyway and fired his 9mm handgun 18 times, Gualtieri said.
The deputy ran for cover in the alleyway and fired his 9mm handgun18 times, Gualtieri said. It killed Marquis Golden, 29.
Deputies said Ford ran and was found hiding on a roof.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said no deputies were hurt in the shooting.
The sheriff's office recovered an AR-15, a semi-automatic gun and multiple handguns.
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