Family, friends of stabbing suspect killed by Lake County deputy demand answers

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. - Several protesters lined up outside the Lake County Sheriff's office Wednesday afternoon seeking justice after a stabbing suspect was shot and killed by a deputy over the weekend.

Three days after Timotheus Reed, 38, died, Reed's family and friends held up signs saying, "Truth, facts, justice," "We demand answers," and "Justice for Tim Reed." 

Deputies warned the protesters to "try to be quiet and not get out of hand." A person with the prosecutor's office informed protesters that the investigation – being conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement – is in its early stages. 

Reed was shot and killed by a Lake County deputy on April 12. The deputy has since been removed from duty, the sheriff's office confirmed. 

Protesters reported they've been at the sheriff's office since 10:30 a.m., April 15. Deputies declined to speak further on the incident. 

What we know:

Protesters questioned why the body camera didn't automatically activate when the deputy arrived on the scene. 

"When you arrive on the scene, shouldn't your body camera footage be activated?" a protester questioned. The deputy responded, "It is a policy of the sheriff's office for it to be activated." 

A deputy responded that they're dealing with equipment – saying there could be a possibility of a glitch. 

"I can't answer all of your questions," the deputy said to protesters, saying she wasn't on the scene during the incident and is not a part of the investigation.  

The sheriff's office has not released the name of the deputy involved – citing being prohibited by state statute.

Watch: Body camera footage of incident

Edited footage? Lake County Sheriff responds

In a statement released on April 15, the sheriff's office responded to questions raised regarding edited body camera footage and a part of the shooting was removed from the footage. In response, the sheriff's office said the body camera footage was released at the same starting point in the original footage. 

"We have automated audit trails that show no such editing took place," the sheriff's office said. 

The sheriff's office said the deputy involved was a "short distance away" when they responded to the alleged stabbing. 

"As a result, he did not activate his blue lights, which would have in turn activated his body camera. He simply pulled up to the scene and was quickly pointed in the direction where Mr. Reed had gone," the sheriff's office said. 

What we know:

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating this incident.