Man Beating Wife With Hammer Fatally Shot By Polk County Deputy

EAGLE LAKE, FL — A man is dead after authorities said he used a hammer to beat his wife before he was fatally shot by a Polk County deputy.

According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, deputies received a call shortly before 7 a.m. Saturday from a 61-year-old woman who said she was being violently beaten by her husband, 52-year-old Charles Franklin Edwards Jr.

Deputy Christopher Johnston responded to the scene where he heard the victim inside the home screaming for help. According to authorities, Johnston entered the home and saw Edwards attacking the victim with a large hammer.

Johnston asked Edwards to drop the hammer multiple times, authorities said, but Edwards ignored the demands, prompting Johnston to deploy his taser. According to authorities, Edwards pulled out the taser probes and charged at Johnston with the hammer raised over his head.

"Johnston was forced to shoot at the violent and enraged suspect who was struck at least two times," the agency said in a news release.

Deputies provided aid before medics arrived and took Edwards to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The victim was treated for significant injuries and is expected to survive, authorities said.

“Domestic violence calls are one of the most dangerous situations law enforcement officers respond to," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. "This is a sobering reminder of how dangerous domestic violence calls can end."

Johnston has been with the Polk County Sheriff's Office for 7 years.

The 10th Judicial Circuit’s Officer Involved Deadly Incident Task Force is investigating the shooting. The sheriff's office will also conduct an internal investigation, authorities said.