Charlotte County Sheriff's Office: Wanted murder suspect tries to shoot deputy

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said a wanted homicide suspect pointed a loaded gun at a deputy and pulled the trigger during his arrest following a traffic stop on Feb. 20.

According to the sheriff's office, deputies stopped a rental car he was riding in as a passenger.

Deputies said two suspects connected to a Sarasota County burglary were going through the area. The sheriff's office said after the driver broke a traffic law, deputies followed the car and pulled it over.

The driver was identified as 41-year-old, Amy Lee. The passenger, later identified as 51-year-old Brian Hewson, refused to provide identification at the time. Deputies said they both did not follow commands to exit the vehicle, but eventually did so after being told they would be arrested for obstruction.

As they were talking to the pair, the sheriff's office said they learned Hewson had several active warrants for his arrest. Lee had prior arrests in Lee County, the sheriff's office said.

When deputies tried to arrest Hewson, the sheriff's office said he resisted.

A member of STAR (Strategic Targeted Area Response), took out their taser and the sheriff's office said they warned Hewson before deploying it.

The sheriff's office said Hewson pulled out a gun, pointed it directly at the deputy and pulled the trigger. However, the sheriff's office said while it was loaded, there was no round in the chamber, and the gun did not fire.

That's when the deputy deployed more taser probes. The sheriff's office said Hewson tried to re-rack his gun. But due to the taser, deputies said he was not able to control the gun and deputies grabbed it.

Hewson was arrested on the multiple outstanding warrants, including one for homicide out of Pennsylvania, one for failure to appear in Pennsylvania, and charges in Lee County related to trafficking stolen property. He also faces the following charges stemming from the arrest:

• Aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer
• Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
• Possession of a controlled substance (1.1 grams of fentanyl found in the vehicle)
• Resisting with violence
• Possession of drug paraphernalia

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