CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A Cape Coral man "in a manic state," as described by family members, is dead after an officer-involved shooting.
The incident happened around 10:45 a.m. Monday at a home on the 1900 block of SW 2nd Terrace, west of S. Chiquita Blvd.
At a briefing Monday afternoon, Cape Coral Police Chief Tony Sizemore said three officers were responding to a welfare check for Yosef Bekermus, 31, who family members had said had become aggressive and may have been in need of a Baker Act.
Sizemore described the man as "being shot out of a cannon" as he charged at officers after exiting a garage window, wielding a metallic pipe, striking one officer in the head.
Less-lethal tactics were used to try and subdue the man, including multiple stun-gun charges, but "they proved ineffective," Sizemore said.
When Bekermus approached with the pipe again, the officer shot the man three times. The officer tried to perform life-saving measures on the Bekermus, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The officer is recovering from his injuries. He will be on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, as is protocol.
Body camera footage was recorded and will be reviewed as part of the investigation. Sizemore said "officers followed training and performed admirably" after seeing the footage.
