Bodycam video captures shootout during deadly Hendry County traffic stop

LABELLE, Fla. (WINK) — The Hendry County Sheriff's Office provided an update on a deputy-involved shooting that left a 33-year-old man dead. Deputies say the man pulled out a gun during what began as a routine traffic stop on Aug. 29.

According to the sheriff's office, deputies received a report of a reckless driver at approximately 5:10 p.m. Deputies located the vehicle traveling southbound on State Road 29 at approximately 5:26 p.m. and initiated a traffic stop just north of Case Road.

See the full press conference and bodycam video below:

Deputies made contact with the driver and sole occupant, Edward Young Jr. A second deputy and a deputy in training responded to assist with the stop.

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The initiating deputy and backup deputy approached the driver's side of the vehicle while the deputy in training stayed on the passenger side, according to the release.

Body-worn camera and dash-camera footage show what initially appeared to be a calm and routine traffic stop, with deputies speaking with Young and asking basic questions about where he was coming from and where he was going. 

A couple of minutes into the stop, bodycam video shows Young reach back with his right arm, grabbing what appeared to be a gun. The deputies on the driver's side saw the firearm and immediately returned fire while taking cover, according to the sheriff's office.

Young was struck multiple times and later succumbed to his injuries, deputies say.

The sheriff requested that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, along with the State Attorney's Office, investigate the shooting independently and thoroughly.

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"I also want everyone to remember something very important: a man lost his life," the sheriff's office said. "Regardless of the circumstances surrounding this incident, there is a family grieving that loss, and they deserve our prayers and compassion."

The sheriff's office emphasized that the deputies did not begin their shift expecting something like this to happen. What began as a routine traffic stop became a life-or-death situation in a matter of seconds, something these deputies and their families will now have to live with.

The sheriff's office addressed what they called speculation and misinformation circulating on social media, strongly encouraging everyone to allow investigators to do their jobs and allow the evidence to determine what happened. Threats have been made against deputies involved in the incident, the sheriff's office said.

"Let me be perfectly clear: if you make a criminal threat to kill or harm one of these deputies or anyone else—we will investigate it," the sheriff's office said. "And when the evidence establishes that a crime has been committed, we will take every lawful step available to identify the person responsible and hold them accountable."