FLORIDA
A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted a Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy, Richard Palmer, 58, on charges that he used unreasonable force by shooting an unarmed woman and misleading state investigators about the circumstances of his actions, according to officials.
According to the indictment, on Oct. 11, 2016, Palmer, while on duty as a Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy, shot a woman whose hands were visible and empty. Palmer’s actions resulted in bodily injury to her.
A lawsuit filed against Palmer by the woman he shot, Robin Pearson, shed more light on the circumstances of the shooting. Pearson sued Palmer in October 2017 and they reached a settlement in September 2018, according to Orlando Sentinal.
According to the lawsuit, Pearson was driving home north on Carolina Street about 12:40 a.m. as Palmer was westbound on Nancy Avenue. They arrived at the intersection near Paisley at about the same time, then Pearson turned left onto Nancy Avenue, heading east, the lawsuit said.
Palmer later misled investigators by falsely justifying the shooting, claiming that the woman’s left hand was in her pocket, that the woman was pulling her left hand out of her pocket, and that he saw a dark object in her left hand, the indictment shows.
If convicted, Palmer faces up to 10 years in prison for his use of unreasonable force and 20 years in prison for his false statements,
Palmer is presumed innocent unless found guilty.
DOJ NOTED:
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Jacksonville Division. Special Legal Counsel Mark Blumberg and Trial Attorneys Maura White and Anna Gotfryd of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.