Family and friends demand answers in officer-involved shooting death

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—The victim of a deadly officer-involved shooting over the weekend has been identified by family members as 30-year-old Stanley Richard.

Family members say Richard was shot multiple times by Fort Myers police officers Saturday morning and died after he initially called for help. Family members and friends say they still have many unanswered questions about what led to the shooting.

Richard's family and his friend Magda, who did not want to go on camera until speaking with a lawyer about the incident, say Richard was not in a good mindset in the days leading up to Saturday's shooting. Magda said Richard wasn’t eating or sleeping much after he was kicked out of his family's home, located on the other side of her duplex, at the end of August.

She says Richard would temporarily stay with her or another neighbor while he worked to get back on his feet. His belongings still sit where he left them.

His loved ones say they don't know why Richard called the police that morning, but they witnessed everything after. Yvon Coulange, Richard's aunt's husband and the landlord of the property, says he saw Richard running as officers pursued him, but he didn't get more than a few steps from the door before he was shot. 

Magda described Richard as a friendly person who liked to joke and was very artistic. She says he was working on expanding his hair-cutting business and trying to rebuild his life. 

"My question to the department is, is that the way we do policing? Why aim to kill? Why not tackle him to the ground?" Magda said.

Family and friends say they want answers. Their biggest question, they say is why deadly force was used instead of de-escalation.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the officer's use of force. Fort Myers Police Department says the officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave until that investigation is over.