FORT LAUDERDALE – A Hollywood police officer who reportedly shot a unadorned, handcuffed man has been criminally charged.
Henry Andrews, 49, is going through one depend of culpable negligence, inflicting precise private harm, a first-degree misdemeanor. If convicted, he faces as much as a 12 months in jail.
The shooting happened on July 3, 2021, after police mentioned Michael Ortiz, 42, had known as 911 saying he had taken medicine and was affected by chest pains.
Paramedics arrived first. Ortiz, bare and agitated, emerged from a sixth-floor residence and threatened to leap from a balcony, mentioned police.
A witness on the time instructed CBS4 that Ortiz struggled with the paramedics. She mentioned the police arrived shortly after.
“I heard them scuffling and arguing and it looked like he had handcuffs on,” she defined.
That’s when one other officer arrived on the scene.
“By the time he had come up, everything had escalated. Next thing I know I heard a shot,” the witness mentioned.
On the day of the shooting, police mentioned Ortiz was making “delusional and suicidal statements.” They mentioned Ortiz used his legs to withstand being put into restraints as they tried to maneuver him into an elevator to a ready rescue car.
Hollywood police mentioned Andrews meant to seize his Taser, however as a substitute grabbed his gun and fired the life-altering shot.
The shooting left Ortiz paralyzed and in want of around-the-clock care.Â
