Authorities investigate fatal officer‑involved shooting in Holmes County 

Authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a 58‑year‑old Bonifay man by a Holmes County deputy late July 23 after deputies responded to a disturbance call on Alex Brown Road.

Holmes County Sheriff John Tate shared further information during a press conference on Friday, July 24, confirming that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting an independent investigation into the incident, as is standard procedure in officer‑involved shootings.

According to the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, the agency’s communications center received a 911 call at 11:08 p.m. July 23 from a woman later identified as the daughter of Steve Smith. She reported that her father was intoxicated and had fired a handgun in the direction of her and a friend.

Investigators said the daughter later told authorities that Smith had called her and made suicidal statements, which prompted her to go to his residence at 1105 Alex Brown Road.

The first deputy arrived at the residence at approximately 11:22 p.m. and made contact with the woman in the yard. She advised the deputy that Smith had returned inside the home.

According to the sheriff’s office, a deputy then approached the rear entrance of the residence and observed Smith standing inside a bedroom. As the deputy attempted to make contact with him, Smith became upset, yelled profanities and shoved the deputy, authorities said.

The sheriff’s office said Smith then reached behind his back into his waistband, produced a handgun and pointed it at the deputy. The deputy fired his service weapon, striking Smith.

Additional deputies arrived at approximately 11:28 p.m., secured the residence and began providing first aid until Holmes County EMS arrived at 11:35 p.m. EMS personnel took over medical care, but Smith was pronounced dead despite lifesaving efforts.

Tate said the deputy was not injured during the encounter.

At Tate’s request, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement responded and assumed the investigation into the shooting. The deputy’s identity has not been released in accordance with Florida law.

Tate said the incident was captured on the deputy’s body-worn camera. The footage is expected to be released after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has had sufficient time to process the evidence as part of its investigation.

While the body camera video remains under review, the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office released several still images from the deputy’s body-worn camera on its Facebook page. When asked how much time the deputy had to respond, Tate said the images show the deputy had “a second to a second and a half” to react after Smith produced the handgun. The timestamps visible on the released images show approximately one second elapsed from the moment Smith is shown with the handgun to the next frame captured by the body-worn camera.

Tate said the images were released to provide additional context while the public awaits the release of the full body camera footage.

HCSO has confirmed that the deputy has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation. 

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s investigation remains ongoing.