A man accused of hitting a deputy from the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) (Florida) with a metal bar, as well as trying to burn a 9-year-old child he thought was demon-possessed, was reportedly shot and killed Tuesday by another officer.
At around 4:00 p.m., first responders got a call about multiple people setting a pile of debris on fire while on the side of a road, according to the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
Responding to the scene first, Highlands County Fire Rescue contacted police after they confronted the man Richard Myron Ham, 39. When officers showed up, the suspect had two metal rods, according to HSCO, per FOX 13.
When the deputies issued Ham orders, he refused to follow along, which resulted in him getting tased by police. However, the taser didn’t affect him whatsoever, pulling the probes out of his body and then picking back up a metal bar, according to officers, according to the outlet.
Man killed after hitting deputy with metal rod, trying to burn child he thought was possessed by demon: HCSO https://t.co/bYNgnxLdiG
— FOX 13 Tampa Bay (@FOX13News) December 20, 2023
Then, Ham decided to swing the bar at an officer, striking them in the head, according to police, according to FOX 13.
In response, another deputy shot his firearm at Ham, leading to Ham being transported to the hospital. There, he was pronounced dead. The officer who was injured was also taken to the hospital where he received treatment, according to HCSO.
Ham, and a 30-year-old woman, were burning the possessions of a 9-year-old child — the son of the woman — because they thought that he was demon-possessed, according to HCSO.
Ham also placed the child into the fire and put a blanket on top of him that was also set ablaze, but fortunately, the 9-year-old escaped with no harm being done, according to police, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Drunk Dude Apparently Attacks Police On Spirit Plane (Because Of Course) Bound For … You Guessed It … FLORIDA!)
Both the woman and her son, out of Wichita, Kansas, were labeled missing and endangered people Dec. 6. It’s not exactly known how they ended up in Highlands County, according to deputies, FOX 13 reported.
Found in the vehicle that Ham and the woman were driving in were several guns and drugs, according to HCSO.