A Grand Jury decided on Thursday that the nine Orange County Sheriff’s deputies who opened fire in a hail of bullets killing a suspected car thief, will not be indicted.
Torey Breedlove was shot by nine deputies in a hail of 100 bullets after he attempted to ram a stolen vehicle into Orange County Sheriff’s deputies in January, earlier this year. The shooting, which took place at the Alta Westgate Apartment Complex at 6830 Alta Westgate Drive left Breedlove, 27, dead.
In reacting to the Grand Jury’s decision not to indict the deputies, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said in a written statement that, “The Grand Jury conclusion in the Breedlove shooting is a necessary step in the effort to shed light and promote understanding of what occurred on that morning.”
Demings added that, “What happened in the early morning hours of that day was tragic and that fact does not escape me. Any suspect action or confrontation which results in a deputy-involved shooting causes great concern in the community we serve, and requires immediate accountability for the actions deployed and the defensive force used when police are challenged or confronted with deadly resistance.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office Professional Standards Section would finalize its report which will be made public, Demings said.
“It is my goal to continuously strive to make this agency more transparent and better equipped to face the challenges that are revealed on a day to day basis”, Demings said. “We will continue to work with our community partners and leaders to foster understanding as we move forward together cooperatively, and remain resolute in maintaining the public’s trust and confidence.”
[…] of stealing a car and ramming it into an Orange County Sheriff deputy’s car. Retorting, deputies fired more than 100 bullets at Breedlove, killing […]