Body worn camera footage that makes very little sense shows a Okaloosa County sheriff's deputy opening fire on his own patrol car while a suspect is inside after he mistakes the sound of a falling acorn bouncing off of his patrol car for a suppressed pistol shot.

On November 12, 2023, Deputies Jesse Hernandez and Beth Roberts responded to a call for service where a man was flashing a handgun with a suppressor on it in a series of threatening phone calls and text messages to his ex-girlfriend. After responding, the suspect was placed into the police cruiser while officers continued to question the woman about the threatening text messages she had received.

On his way back to the patrol car to search the suspect, Deputy Hernandez mistakes the sound of a falling acorn bouncing off of his patrol car for a suppressed gunshot. He immediately reacts to this by diving forward away from the vehicle, and then opening fire on the back of the patrol car where the suspect was located.

The officer proceeds to empty an entire magazine into the rear of the vehicle, and then reloads while screaming that he has been shot. This prompts the other officer to take a few shots at the vehicle as well, thinking that the first deputy to open fire has been shot and is still being actively engaged by the threat.

During a frame by frame internal investigation, it was determined that the sound Deputy Hernandez heard was a falling acorn hitting his patrol car. You can hear the sound yourself around :13 seconds into the video. Deputy Hernandez resigned from his position with the department while the investigation was on-going. The second officer on the scene was justified in her use of force, because from her perspective she thought Deputy Hernandez was being killed right in front of her.

Fortunately, the suspect in the vehicle was not injured.

About the Author

Josh Brooks

Josh is an American writer and former USMC machine gunner with eight years of experience in ground combat arms throughout the GWOT. He is currently based in Texas and specializes in combat footage analysis and digital marketing.Follow Josh at OfficialJoshBrooks.com