911 call released in deadly shooting involving Altamonte Springs police officer: 'He's across the street'
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - The Altamonte Springs Police Department has released a 911 call from a woman in the River Run neighborhood minutes before a man was killed in an officer-involved shooting.
Caller: "We have a neighbor who’s walking up and down from house to house with a rifle. Now he’s just knocking on our front door."
Dispatcher: "And he’s your neighbor?"
Caller: "He’s across the street, neighbor."
Dispatcher: "Has he shot the gun at all? Or pointed it at anybody?
Caller: "No, he has not."
RELATED: Neighbors say armed man shot by Altamonte Springs Police had caused disturbances before
Minutes after the call ended, the man carrying the rifle was shot by an officer. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
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"I heard a loud bang," said neighbor Jordan Cox. "[It] kinda sounded like a heavy sheet metal pan dropping – really loud."
Identified as 65-year-old Eric Seckington, Commander Evelyn Steenekamp with the Altamonte Springs Police Department (ASPD) said Seckington ignored multiple commands to drop the gun. According to Steenekamp, Seckington had a history of mental health issues and frequently acted erratically.
"The way that he lifted the rifle up, it was almost as a readiness to fire the weapon, which prompted our officer to take action," Steenekamp said.
Steenekamp said in 2004, Seckington was arrested for holding a knife up to someone’s neck, according to ASPD. Steenekamp said they were not aware Seckington had any firearms. Had they known, she said, they would have made moves to confiscate them.