Florida Department Of Law Enforcement Makes Decision About Deputy's Shooting Actions

BLOOMINGDALE — RIVERVIEW, FL — Following a Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) investigation, a Hillsborough County deputy has been found justified for using deadly force at a Riverview home in December.

A neighbor asked deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office to check on an 88-year-old man, Ronald Edward Ehrich, who lived alone nearby on Dec. 7, a Hillsborough County State Attorney's news release said.

Ehrich's garage door had been left open for two days and he had not been seen as of late, according to what the neighbor told the sheriff's office. The door from the garage into the interior had also been left open.

A deputy went to the house and went inside through the open doors alone as she knocked and called out repeatedly, "Sheriff's Office," according to investigators.

Following not finding Ehrich downstairs after checking each room, the deputy went upstairs announcing her presence repeatedly again. The deputy found that a bedroom door was locked, and no other rooms were locked, deputies said.

She stood outside the door and said, "Sheriff's Office."

Ehrich, from the opposite side of the door, asked, "Who's there?"

The deputy said, "Sheriff's Office, Sir, it's Deputy (last name being withheld due to Marsy's Law)."

Ehrich told her he had a gun and she better get the hell out of there, the State Attorney's Office said.

Ehrich then left the bedroom with a fully loaded Beretta .32 caliber firearm in his left hand, according to the investigation.

He was told by the deputy more than a dozen times to drop the gun. Ehrich kept the gun in his hand as he walked down the hallway toward the deputy who stood in the doorway of another bedroom, FDLE said.

Ehrich said to the deputy that he was prepared to shoot her and kept walking into the room where the deputy had taken cover, the State Attorney's Office said.

Ehrich went into the room still holding the gun in his hand. When the deputy saw he still had the gun, she shot her agency-issued Glock 45 9 millimeter pistol three times. Ehrich was hit by the bullets in the head and chest and died later at a local hospital, according to Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's Office.

"After our thorough analysis, we have determined that the facts and evidence of this incident prove that the deputy reasonably believed she was in fear of imminent death or great bodily harm when she used deadly force," the FDLE said. "She also did not have a duty to retreat. These findings satisfy Florida Statutes 776.012 and 776.05 and, therefore, under Florida law, the use of deadly force is justified. Accordingly, there is no legal basis for criminal charges against the deputy."

The findings of the autopsy that were reported to FDLE are consistent with the body-worn camera video and the deputy’s account, with the examination identifying wounds from three bullets, the State Attorney's Office said.

The cause of death was determined to be gunshot wounds to the head and chest.