Community Demands Answers After Deputy-Involved Shooting in Hernando County

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — Family members and community activists gathered on Thursday to voice their concerns and demand answers from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office regarding the death of Michael O’Banner, who was fatally shot during a deputy-involved incident on February 6.

The emotional meeting took place just over a month after 62-year-old O’Banner was shot by a deputy following a traffic stop. According to investigators, O’Banner fled on foot during the incident, leading to what officials described as a violent struggle resulting in the shooting.

In a Facebook video released shortly after the shooting, Sheriff Al Nienhuis explained that the deputy initially attempted to use a taser, but it was ineffective. “A very violent struggle ensued, and that struggle resulted in the deputy using his firearm,” Nienhuis stated.

While the sheriff mentioned O’Banner’s extensive criminal history, including over 20 felony convictions, his family insisted that he had turned his life around. “He shouldn’t have been gunned down in the streets,” said Josephine Robertson, O’Banner’s cousin. “We’re hearing so many stories. We’re trying to get to what really happened.”

As community members expressed their frustrations regarding the lack of transparency, they emphasized their desire for justice and clarity about the night O’Banner died. Some residents speculated that O’Banner may have been shot in the back, although the sheriff’s office released a preliminary autopsy report stating he was not shot in that area.

O’Banner’s family believes that video footage of the encounter would clarify the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Unfortunately for them, deputies in the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office do not wear body cameras.

<p“Our family is just wanting justice,” said Sonya O'Banner, Michael's aunt. “I never in my life thought that I would be dealing with something like this. We hear it on TV all the time, but this was a shock.”

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment during the meeting, but the agency has previously stated it would provide more information once the Florida Department of Law Enforcement completes its investigation.

This incident has not only affected O’Banner’s family but has also raised concerns within the community regarding police accountability and the use of force.