TITUSVILLE, Fla. (WFLA) — The fatal shooting of a 25-year-old by a Titusville police officer was “legal and justified,” State Attorney William Shayner said Tuesday.
Tori Malea Charles was shot and killed by a Titusville police officer on the evening of February 7, 2025. The shooting sparked protests in the city, protesting from Charles’ friends and family.
In a letter to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Shiner said the use of lethal force was justified, citing Florida law that lethal force is legal, saying that the use of lethal force was justified, and that officers reasonably believe it is necessary to use or threaten such forces to prevent imminent death or major physical harm.
He details the series of events that took place the night Charles was killed.
The residence where the shooting occurred is known to police as “the location of firearm possession and discharge, alcohol consumption by minors, fighting and common drug activity recently occurred.
Officers learned about the party taking place at the residence, which encouraged active patrols in the area, and one officer heard the shooting.
When several officers arrived, Charles entered the house and was looked back by officers through the window. He was told to “stop” and “go outside,” the letter said.
Charles then rushes through the residence, leaving the front door and passing multiple people standing on the porch. He traveled and fell, and a firearm with an extended magazine fell from his waistband onto the sidewalk.
xzevies baez, one of the officers who fired at Charles, begins to scream, “He has a gun” while the firearm is on the sidewalk. Charles tries to pass Baez and swings his closed fist towards him.
Shiner says he picked up the firearm that Charles had dropped and began running in the direction of another officer, Zachary Bluegourus.
Baez continues to scream that Charles has a gun, then begins to fire at him while he runs from Baez towards Blougouras, then begins to cross the street, away from both officers.
Both Baez and Blougouras fire at Charles as he runs across the street before he drops a firearm into the driveway of the neighboring house.
In the letter, Shiner said Baez began firing at Charles within two seconds of his picking up the firearm, and estimated that Baez had fired his weapon 16 times. Blougouras fired the weapon three times.
Medical inspectors pointed out that Charles had 10 gunshot wounds, but the order of the incident is unknown.
Charles’ injury:
From bullet wounds (GSW) to the left calves, move the two GSWs forward to left buttock, from front GSW to the right hip, from GSW to the right shoulder, from right shoulder to right shoulder, from front GSW to left GSW, from left elbow, from right elbow to right elbow. Undecided direction of travel
Shiner stated that an important fact in his resolve is that Charles drives himself away after dropping the gun and does so after swinging the host towards one of the officers.
“Charles’ actions represented active resistance, accompanied by violence against being detained,” Shiner wrote. “This fact proved clear and current danger not only to local officers but also to others, encouraging the use of force by each officer.”
The Titusville Police Department said in a Facebook post that Charles’ family will be allowed to watch body camera footage before it is released on June 13th on Thursday, June 12th.
