FATAL SHOOTING SPURS PROBE

Deputy's Deadly Force Sparks Outrage Among Neighbors

A 27-year-old Warrington man was shot and killed early Friday morning during
a struggle with an Escambia County sheriff's deputy, sparking outrage among
the victim's neighbors and friends and prompting an investigation by state
law enforcement officials.

Joseph Golden was shot outside the front door of his unit at Jackson Square
Apartments on Blanton Court as his girlfriend and five children watched from
inside the apartment.

"They killed him for nothing," said Nicole Lewis, 14, a witness to the
shooting, which took place just before 6 a.m.

Chief Deputy Larry Smith called the shooting "a very unfortunate
situation.''

"(Griffith) showed as much restraint as he could,'' Smith said. "Any time
our officers are in the streets, they have a right to defend themselves when
they believe their lives or the lives of others are in danger."

A team of narcotics officers arrived at Golden's apartment a short time
before the shooting to serve a search warrant, Smith said. Undercover
officers previously had purchased crack cocaine from Golden on two
occasions, he said.

Golden -- known as "Bubba" to many neighbors in the apartment complex -- was
at the store when deputies began their search for drugs. But he returned
home while the officers were still working inside the apartment.

Investigator Charlie Griffith Jr., 33, a nine-year Sheriff's Office veteran
who was the lead officer in the recent Sandshaker investigation into cocaine
dealing on Pensacola Beach, met Golden at the door.

"Charlie Griffith gave repeated commands for the suspect to stop, and he did
not respond," Smith said. "Instead, he tried to grab the gun."

Smith said the two men were struggling for the weapon when it discharged
once into Golden's head, fatally wounding him. He was pronounced dead at
Baptist Hospital.

"He just bled to death there in front of all the kids and everybody else,"
said Alina Bullard, a friend and neighbor. "And it was for something so
petty. That didn't have to happen."

Griffith was not injured in the altercation.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting to
determine what occurred during the struggle between Griffith and Golden.

According to FDLE spokeswoman Lisa Lagergren, investigators will interview
Griffith, the other deputies at the scene, neighbors at Golden's apartment
complex, and the children who were inside his home at the time, ranging in
age from 3 to 14.

"The goal is to gather the facts to determine what exactly happened during
that physical confrontation," she said.

The Medical Examiner's Office plan to conduct an autopsy on Golden's body
today, Smith said. Officials also will take blood samples for toxicology
tests to determine whether he was under the influence of any drugs or
alcohol.

Griffith was placed on paid administrative leave, pending the FDLE's
findings.

Neighbors and friends of Golden have challenged the Sheriff's Office version
of events, saying that Griffith did not make a series of commands to Golden.

Nicole Lewis recalled being awakened by pounding at the door. Deputies
ordered her and the other children into the living room, she said, where
they were told to sit, not far from the spot where Golden was shot.

"He didn't say anything," Lewis said. "He just pulled out the gun. One
minute Bubba was looking at my mama, and the next minute he was on the
ground bleeding. There was no commotion. He was just spitting up blood."

Neighbors said it seemed uncharacteristic of Golden to get involved in a
dispute with anyone. A serious head injury last year kept him in the
hospital for months.

Bullard said doctors put a tube in Golden's brain to drain fluids, and the
surgery left him weakened physically.

"He could hardly even get around," she said. "He couldn't walk straight, and
there is no way he would be getting into a fight with a police officer."

But Smith said Golden was a well-known drug dealer who traded crack openly
in front of the children who resided with him. His criminal history dates
back to 1994.

During the execution of the search warrant, deputies found drugs and drug
paraphernalia inside Golden's apartment, Smith said.

"People might sell drugs and make poor decisions, but that's not a reason to
kill them," said Diyawn Jackson, another of Golden's neighbors. "Officers
are supposed to be trained in ways to apprehend people without having to
harm them."

Smith said based on a preliminary look at Griffith's actions, the deputy
followed protocol.

"He was forced into a situation that no one would ever want to be in," Smith
said. "And it appears that he responded and followed policy as best as he
could."

Jackson said she had telephoned the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People and other groups with concerns about Friday morning's
incident.

"If I have to go to City Hall myself, I'll get some answers," Jackson said.
"They're killing too many of us over little pointless things, and it needs
to stop."