Homicide Suspect Tries To Shoot Florida Deputy During Arrest

Body-worn camera video shows the moment a homicide suspect in Florida brandished a firearm in an attempt to shoot a sheriff’s deputy, authorities said.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said that on Feb. 20, deputies learned that two suspects in a burglary in Sarasota County were driving through Charlotte County in a rental car. When deputies spotted the car allegedly making a traffic violation, the conducted a traffic stop.

The driver, identified as 41-year-old Amy Lee, and a passenger who refused to provide identification, did not initially comply with deputy commands to exit the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said. Once they were threatened with arrest for obstruction, they exited the vehicle.

While deputies questioned the pair, a member of the Strategic Targeted Area Response (STAR) unit running records checks learned Lee was arrested in Lee County on multiple felony charges in 2024. Her co-defendant in those cases, 51-year-old Brian Hewson, was determined to be the unidentified passenger in the rental vehicle. It was further determined that Hewson had multiple warrants for his arrest.

When deputies attempted to arrest Hewson, he “immediately resisted,” the sheriff’s office said. The STAR member drew his Taser and issued a warning to Hewson, who simultaneously produced a concealed firearm and “pointed it directly at the deputy, pulling the trigger.”

Despite being loaded, the was not a round in the chamber, so the gun did not fire. Hewson was attempting to re-rack the firearm when the deputy discharged his Taser.

Body-worn camera video shared by the sheriff’s office shows the moment Hewson attempted to fire his gun at the deputy.

In response to social media commenters wondering why the deputy used a Taser, the sheriff’s office said “the answer to that is that he already had the taser in hand before the firearm was seen.”

“Had our deputy attempted to switch from taser to firearm, he likely would have already been shot,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Let me be clear: this individual is lucky to be alive today,” Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a statement. “While I am thankful it did not result in that, I want to be sure it is understood that my deputies are trained to eliminate a lethal threat with deadly force. They deserve to go home to their families after their shift. This despicable human tried to take one of my deputies out instead of being a man and accepting accountability for his own decisions. Now he will face the justice he has tried to dodge for so long… and I hope he spends the rest of his days behind bars.”

Hewson was arrested on both local charges and out-of-jurisdiction warrants. Locally, Hewson is charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, resisting with violence, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of fentanyl, a controlled substance.

The sheriff’s office said Hewson also has arrest warrants including one for homicide in Pennsylvania, one for failure to appear in Pennsylvania, and one related to trafficking stolen property out of Lee County.

Hewson was being held at the Charlotte County Jail without bond.