A man who shot himself before he attacked and was killed by a deputy over the weekend in Cooper City has been identified, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
On Saturday, around noon, the sheriff’s office said deputies and fire rescue personnel were sent to a shopping plaza on Griffin Road, just west of Palm Avenue, to check out reports of a man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound who was making suicidal remarks.
When deputies arrived they encountered 18-year-old Boston Cassano, who was suffering from a gunshot wound.
What led to deadly shooting?
According to the sheriff’s office, Cassano had been involved in “physical altercation” with his mother at the plaza before shooting himself.
When a deputy approached Cassano to help him, investigators said he attacked the deputy, who was forced to fire, investigators said.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue personnel immediately began lifesaving measures, but Cassano died at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
Cassano’s mother and the deputy were taken to the hospital, according to the sheriff’s office. They said neither one was injured by the gunfire and both have since been released.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Per BSO policy, the deputy who fired his weapon has been placed on administrative assignment pending further investigation.
