An Orange County Sheriff’s deputy has been assigned to administrative duties after shooting at a suspect he was trying to subdue on Monday night. While the shot missed the suspect, the man was eventually subdued and charged with domestic violence and child abuse charges.
Cpl. Steven Franklin was reassigned to administrative duties after he shot at a suspect in a vacant lot at Westwood Blvd.
Deputies said that around 11:30 pm on December 6th, a 911 domestic violence call was received from a woman who told investigators that she and her child had been abused by her husband. Investigators arrived at the scene in the 6000 block of Westwood Boulevard and after a short search, spotted the suspect in a partially concealed location.
The suspect was approached by deputies, ordered to show his hands and go to the ground, orders with which he refused to comply. Instead the suspect started to walk in the opposite direction and then back again. According to deputies, the suspect did this a number of times, ignoring their commands and eventually made overt movements towards his waist. At this point, Cpl. Franklin fired at the suspect, but the shot did not hit the suspect.
Other deputies who arrived on the scene used their Electronic Control Devices to subdue the suspect.
Travis Mann, 52, the suspect, who fell to the ground was injured and taken to the Dr. Phillips Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, deputies said.
Mann is charged with child abuse, domestic violence and resisting without violence.
The incident is being reviewed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Shooting Team and by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Professional Standards Section.
Cpl. Franklin has been with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office since January 1990.
I was walking to the Sleep Inn down Westwood when this happened. As I approached the abandoned lot of the old motel, I saw several police cars blocking the driveway. There were then three shots fired, not one as stated in the article. There was some delay, maybe a second or two, between the first and second shots. I’m sure the people working in the Village Inn can corroborate my story.