Veloz had two passengers, including his younger brother. Bonetti ran the plate and found that it was not assigned to the truck.
Veloz, 28, also admitted that he did not have a valid driver's license. Read more
According to officials, when Bonetti tried to arrest him, Veloz hit the deputy in the face and ran. Bonetti chased him down in the backyard of a home. He used his Taser on Veloz, who continued to resist.
Veloz got the Taser away from the deputy and used it on him. Deputy Bonetti stated that he pulled his gun, and, after warning Veloz to drop the Taser, fired point blank into his abdomen.
Backup deputies said Veloz was still resisting when they arrived. He died at the hospital.
Veloz' passengers disputed the deputy's account. They agreed that Veloz ran after he was hit with the Taser, but they did not see a fight.
Veloz' father said that his son was developmentally disabled.
Veloz had previously been charged with grand theft auto and burglary, and misdemeanor offenses.
Deputy Bonetti was cleared.
This was the 94th police shooting in Florida in 2010.
One day earlier, one officer shot one person in Gainesville .
Three days later, one officer shot one person in Orange Park .
8 ways this case compares to others
- Veloz approached police in a threatening manner before being shot. That's true in almost 10% of police shootings.
- Evidence in this case, and accounts given by officers and witnesses, included conflicting details. That was true for 27 other cases.
- Veloz fired shots at police, which happened in 15 percent of shootings.
- Officer approached Veloz after he was suspected of committing a minor crime. That’s true in 1 of every 12 cases.
- Veloz was shot after resisting arrest. A total of 114 people were shot while resisting arrest.
- Officer was chasing Veloz on foot before shooting him. Officers shot 105 people during foot pursuits.
- Veloz showed signs of mental instability. Almost a third of all shootings involved someone who appeared mentally unstable.
- This shooting came after an officer pulled over Veloz for a traffic violation. Seventy-seven cases began with a traffic stop.