EAGLE LAKE, Fla. (WFLA) — An investigation is underway after a Polk County deputy shot a suspect who was beating his wife on Saturday morning, according to officials.
Around 6:50 a.m., the 61-year-old victim told dispatchers she was being "violently beaten" by her husband, identified as 52-year-old Charles Franklin Edwards. The operator said she could hear the man beating the woman as she begged for help.
When a Deputy Sheriff responded to the couple's Eagle Lake home, he said he could hear the victim screaming for help.
The deputy, Christopher Johnston, entered the home to find Edwards armed with a large hammer. Johnston demanded him to drop the weapon. When Edwards ignored him, the deputy deployed his taser.
Edwards pulled out the taser probes and charged at Deputy Sheriff Johnston, with the hammer raised, trying to strike him.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office said Johnston was forced to shoot the suspect, who was hit at least two times.
Edwards and the victim were taken to a nearby hospital. Edwards was pronounced dead, while the victim is undergoing treatment and is expected to survive.
"Domestic violence calls are one of the most dangerous situations law enforcement officers respond to," Sheriff Grady Judd said. "This is a sobering reminder of how dangerous domestic violence calls can end. This violent, enraged suspect was intent on killing his wife and was prevented from doing so by our deputy. We are praying for the victim to recover from her significant injuries."
According to deputies, Edwards has a lengthy criminal history, with charges from across the country ranging from assault, obstructing law enforcement, escaping law enforcement, resisting arrest, tampering with evidence, and possession of narcotics with an intent to sell.
This case has four investigations underway: an investigation by the 10th Judicial Circuit for the officer-involved shooting; an internal investigation by PCSO, an autopsy to determine the manner and cause of death by the Medical Exmainer's Office; and all investigative findings that will be forwarded to the State Attorney's Office for investigation and review.