SHOOTING

Review clears Hernando deputy in fatal shooting
By Joel Anderson, Times Staff Writer
In print: Wednesday, December 17, 2008


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BROOKSVILLE — A Hernando deputy who shot and killed a Spring Hill man who refused officers' orders and reached for a handgun in his jacket during a confrontation in October will not be charged in the incident.

A review found that Deputy Lance Origon was justified in fatally shooting Luis Guillen, according to a memo from Assistant State Attorney Richard Ridgway.

"It is apparent that Deputy Origon's actions were reasonable, and therefore lawful," Ridgway wrote in a letter dated Dec. 15.

Ridgway's review wraps up an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into the fatal shooting.

Sgt. Donna Black, a Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, declined to comment Tuesday about the results of the review. The shooting will now be reviewed by the agency's internal affairs department.

Origon, who is in good standing with the department, was initially placed on paid administrative leave and then light duty at the agency's main office while the shooting was investigated. Origon has been with the department since August 2002.

According to Ridgway's review, Guillen's friends said Guillen was behaving erratically before officers were called to their Spring Hill home in the early morning hours of Oct. 20. Guillen had been drinking heavily that night, pulled a gun on one of his friends, fired the weapon at the ground, hit another friend across the face with the gun and took off on his bike.

Minutes later, Origon and another deputy, Origon's brother Derek Origon, saw a man riding a bicycle at Elgin Boulevard and Fairhaven Avenue who matched the description given by Guillen's friends.

Guillen refused orders from the two deputies to stop and then put his right hand into his jacket pocket, according to the review. The deputies both saw the gun in Guillen's hand, and Deputy Lance Origon fired two shots at Guillen.

Guillen was hit twice in the chest and died at the scene. Deputies recovered a handgun from Guillen.

"I recommend this office take no further action in this matter," Ridgway wrote in the review. State Attorney Brad King agreed with the conclusion.

Joel Anderson can be reached at joelanderson@sptimes.com or (352) 754-6120.



[Last modified: Dec 16, 2008 09:28 PM]

Is this the one where the brothers were involved, the brothers who are both deputies at HCSO?
I hear that people smell haddock over this one!

Yes they are brothers.

Yes they are brothers.

That's why people smell haddock. Maybe it's not haddock but blowfish.

how do you say that you smell haddock in this case. i was there seconds after the shots were fired . there is no way that this is a bad shoot. if anyone says different hav them speak up. i get on this site to read the crap that people post and some of the hatred that goes on. and i would be suprised to hear that the writer of the above post even knows the two that were involved. i am tired of poeple posting things on here and not putting there
names. well mine is brandon cox and i work dist 2 squad 1 bravo. i was there that night . there was no smell odor or sight of anything fishy about that scene. everyone involved before, during and after did an awesome job. say what you will about me , my writing grammer and all that other good stuff that noone has the guts to say to my face but know this, lance and derek are great cops and i would want them there anyday to have my back. to both of them good job!

Well Brandon,you have it wrong.Wasnt a good job.Was a good job protecting themselves from harm/death,but when we have to take a human life,its never good!Good luck to you Brandon aka brother.

I WAS STICKING UP FOR THEM AS FAR AS THEM HANDLEING THEMSELVES AS PROFESSIONALS. THE POST PRIOR TO MINE MADE IT SOUND AS IF THEY GOT TOGETHER TO COVER UP A BAD SHOOTING WHEN THEY DIDNT. AND YOU ARE RIGHT THAT IT NEVER IS A GOOD THING WHEN WE HAVE TO TAKE A LIFE. AND IT WOULD BE NICE FOR US TO NOT HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN FOR A LONG TIME . HOWEVER TIMES ARE GETTING WORSE OUT THERE AND WE DONT NEED PEOPLE THAT DONT KNOW THE TRUE STORY TO MAKE THINGS UP THAT ARE FALSE. I THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT AND WANT TO SAY THAT I DO NOT EVER WANT TO BE IN THEIR SITUATION. AND FOR THE FUTRUE THE "GOOD JOB" WAS NOT BECAUSE THEY TOOK A LIFE BUT DEFENDED OTHERS LIVES AND PUT THEMSELVES OUT THERE TO DO SO.

Stay safe my brothers!!!Ihear ya

how do you say that you smell haddock in this case. i was there seconds after the shots were fired . there is no way that this is a bad shoot. if anyone says different hav them speak up. i get on this site to read the crap that people post and some of the hatred that goes on. and i would be suprised to hear that the writer of the above post even knows the two that were involved. i am tired of poeple posting things on here and not putting there
names. well mine is brandon cox and i work dist 2 squad 1 bravo. i was there that night . there was no smell odor or sight of anything fishy about that scene. everyone involved before, during and after did an awesome job. say what you will about me , my writing grammer and all that other good stuff that noone has the guts to say to my face but know this, lance and derek are great cops and i would want them there anyday to have my back. to both of them good job!

Defensive or what? What was said is people are talking and say that they smell something fishy because we have two brothers who were there and let's face it, we've made ourselves look bad with all the other questionable deaths/investigations that have not fooled people. I think when one of our own doesn't want to comment, it also makes things look not as they are. As was told to me recently, people have valid complaints and yet I.A. finds the deputies did nothing wrong, which isn't always true. Look at the finance director and the other employees who break laws and they don't get charged, only fired or asked to resign. Too many questionable things have come from HCO and we know how this works.