TITUSVILLE – Police fatally shot a 25-year-old armed man in a Titusville neighborhood Friday night.
“Our community hurts today. A tragic incident has occurred, including a shooting involving a lifeless officer, Titusville Mayor Andrew Connors wrote in a social media post.
Residents held a demonstration outside the Titusville Police Station Sunday afternoon, protesting the death of a man identified as Tori Malea Charles. About 60 people held the signs and sought transparency and justice in the shooting.
“My mother has got conflicting information from the police and witnesses,” said Lacasia Felix, a family friend who grew up with Charles. “It’s going to be a protest at the police station. We need an answer.”
Filming occurred around 9:15pm on Friday near Robbins Avenue in Titusville. Police said they are responding to the area to investigate unspecified, suspicious cases, perhaps House parties. At one point, the officer contacted Charles of Titusville and fired multiple rounds to fatally wound him.
He is taken to Parish Hospital, where doctors declare that he is dead.
Police said Charles was armed with a gun but did not say whether Charles fired a shot, showed him the weapon at any time, or whether he legally held it with him. It was unclear how many times Charles was shot in the incident. No officers were injured in the incident, police said.
Several witnesses have discovered police activity and have begun streaming the incident on social media. In one video, officers were standing near the scene of the shooting, allowing several people to be seen sitting on the ground.
Charles played soccer at Astronaut High School and went to college for juniors to play sports, Felix said. “It was comfortable having everyone around him,” she added.
Titusville Police Chief John Lau also joined social media to briefly discuss the filming in a calm tone.
“When life is lost, it’s truly a tragedy for us,” said Lau, who did not provide details or camera footage of the incident on Saturday. Agents investigating. The State Attorney’s Office will review the FDLE report and issue findings on whether the use of lethal force is justified.
In his video statement, Lau said he would reassure investigators that he would meet with Charles’ mother and get information about the case first.
“Before that, there’s nothing you can see online. It’s a shame, but there are false stories out there and those stories can hurt families,” he said. “We ask that everyone is allowing proper development for the investigation.”
Connors expressed his sadness to Charles’ family and loved ones, saying he understood the “pain, frustration, anger” that the shooting caused.
“These emotions are realistic and effective. Transparency and accountability must be at the forefront when we are looking for answers,” he wrote. “That’s why I ensure that a complete and unbiased investigation is already underway. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office will conduct a thorough review to reveal all the facts. There’s no cover-up either.”
Unidentified officers were placed on administrative leave, as is typical in such cases, Lau said.
The shooting is the first use of lethal force in Brevard County this year.
JD Gallop is Florida’s criminal justice/broken news reporter today. Please contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. X, formerly known as Twitter: @jdgallop.
