Man in catatonic state pointed phone at Broward officers before they shot him to death
A man in a catatonic state was shot to death by Davie police officers after thrusting his hands from behind his back and pointing an cellphone at them, body camera footage released Monday reveals.
At around 12:30 a.m. Friday, officers shot the man — later identified as 39-year-old Steven Amann — at a house on the 14000 block of Southwest 24th St. in Davie. Police were at the location responding to a medical call.
Amann was struck by the hail of bullets six times, including on the face and chest, according to police records. He was transported to Broward General Hospital, where he later died.
READ MORE: Man dies after cops shot him at Broward home. State law enforcement investigates
Davie police confirmed that Sgt. Steve Lambert and officers Matthew Correa and Jarrett Wheeler were involved in the shooting, though it’s unclear to what extent. All three have been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation, as is standard policy.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.
“The Davie Police Department remains committed to transparency in our investigations,” the department said in a statement. “We will continue to work with [FDLE] to ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted.”
‘What are you doing, dude?’
Before the shooting, a 12-year-old girl called 911 to report that she found her father face down on the floor without a pulse. In the body cam footage, responding officers are heard discussing how Amann walked into the home during the medical call.
But no one recognized Amann.
“He walked in the door, just started walking in,” one of the officers says. “We don’t know who he is.”
The footage doesn’t show Amann inside the home. He was outdoors for the entirety of the released video.
When an officer asked Amann if he had any form of ID, he bent over like he was picking something up and touched grass in front of the home. He then stood on his feet and stared off into the distance.
Another officer, according to the footage, instructed Amann to sit down and “relax for a minute.” Amann remained still, gazing at the ground in front of him — not saying a word.
The officers resumed talking about the medical call among themselves, stating that the girl who called 911 lived at the home with her sister and their aunt. Their father, who doesn’t have legal custody of them due to substance abuse issues, also lives there.
Amann, the footage shows, reached behind his back and stumbled toward some trees, where he pointed a cellphone at the officers.
“What are you doing, dude?” an officer said. “What the f--k.”
Officers then shouted as gunshots rang out. Amann was no longer visible in the frame; the footage abruptly ended.
