Deputies Fatally Shoot Pompano Beach Man Who Was Eating Chicken Wings At Backyard BBQ
Two deputies from the Broward Sheriff’s Office shot and killed a man in Pompano Beach at around 10 o’ clock last night.
Deputies were responding to a call about a domestic disturbance. When they arrived, they were directed to the back yard, where the man (whose name has not yet been released) was holding a knife. Both deputies opened fire. Pompano Beach Fire Rescue later confirmed the man was dead on the scene.
Neighbors who were present at the time of the shooting say the man was shot in the back six times. BSO has not yet confirmed that.
The incident is currently under investigation, and both deputies have been placed on administrative leave.
Friends and family confirmed the victim was Gregory Frazier, age 56, who lived at the Pompano Beach home where the shooting took place. His sister, Deborah, had called 911 because he had been arguing with her daughter. He had a knife in his hand—the small, Swiss Army-style pocket knife that he always carried, she told dispatchers.
When officers arrived, the argument was over, and Frazier was sitting outside in his backyard eating chicken wings and fries. Quartaze Woodard, Frazier’s nephew, who was at the scene, says three deputies showed up and told Frazier to get down on the ground. Frazier responded, “Leave me alone.” The deputies repeated the order. Again, Frazier asked them to leave him alone. After that, Woodard says, the officers shot him. Then, after handcuffing him, and removing the handcuffs once they realized he was non-responsive, they attempted to perform CPR. It was too late.
“I never would have called the cops if I’d known this was going to happen,” Deborah Frazier says. “They just came in and started shooting right away.”
Pastor Miguel Rosa, who lives next door, was holding a meeting with several of his parishioners when he heard what he initially thought were fireworks. At least five shots were fired, he believes.
Frazier was black. The deputies who responded to the call were white. And friends and family say this is why Pompano Beach in particular, and Broward County in general, needs officers who better reflect the populations they serve.
“It’s too much,” says Sarahca Peterson, a friend of the Frazier family and a community activist. “There has to be change. They need to face criminal charges. If I kill someone, I’m going to jail. They shouldn’t be out there on the streets.”