Sheriff: Man accused of shooting Volusia deputy asked AI chatbot about Stand Your Ground laws

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - The Volusia County Sheriff's Office released nearly five minutes of body camera video from a shooting Monday night, where a deputy was shot minutes after responding to a vandalism-related call.

Deputy Jose Rivera, who was shot in the chest, which ricocheted to his shoulder, and in the thigh, is expected to be released from the hospital on Tuesday, said Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood. He added that he visited the deputy on Tuesday, and he was eating chicken and spending time with his family watching SpongeBob. 

The suspect, 38-year-old Luis Diaz Polanco, was booked into jail on two counts of attempted first-degree murder. A judge denied bond at a short court appearance Tuesday morning.

Watch: Body camera released

Content warning: This is bodycam video from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. It is graphic. Viewer discretion advised.

At the home, deputies spoke with a man in the backyard and asked him where Polanco was. The man pointed to inside the home, the affidavit said. 

When deputies went to the front door, Polanco "appeared surprised," – the affidavit said – and pointed a gun at the deputies and fired multiple times before retreating inside. The deputies retreated down the driveway, yelling, "Shots fired, shots fired."

Sheriff: Suspect asked A.I. chatbot about Florida Stand Your Ground laws

Sheriff Chitwood said during a Tuesday press conference that the 38-year-old suspect, Luis Diaz Polanco, used a Spanish-language A.I. chatbot days before the shooting to search for whether he could kill someone who visits his property.

"AI then gave him a definition of Stand Your Ground and Florida law," Chitwood said. 

During his arrest, deputies asked Polanco if he knew the difference between right and wrong, and he acknowledged that shooting law enforcement was wrong, the affidavit said. 

A ‘barrage of bullets'

Investigators found a tan/green colored gun in the home, along with 12 bullet casings leading from the front door to the yard. Six additional casings were found in front of the neighbor’s home, the arrest affidavit said. 

Polanco fired 12 shots and Rivera, while retreating, fired six, Sheriff Chitwood said. 

"He fired at him (Rivera) and followed him down that driveway," Chitwood said of Polanco. 

Sheriff: Suspect indicated he was having a bad day

During the press conference, Sheriff Chitwood said the suspect told deputies that he was having a bad day – and that it started earlier that morning.

A woman reported that her friend's son was acting "erratically" and hit and damaged the hood of her car around 5 a.m. The woman reported the incident when she came home from work, around 5 p.m.

While officers weren't able to establish probable cause for assault/battery, they continued to investigate the criminal mischief – leading them to a home in Deltona.

Deputies Jose Rivera, who joined the agency in 2023, and Deputy Jacob Gomez-Lopez, a rookie responded to the home. 

Sheriff: Suspect ’had every intention to shoot them'

"When the deputies came up to the house, he had every intention to shoot them," Chitwood said. 

The suspect admitted to intentionally firing at the deputies, reportedly thinking that their vests should protect them. However, he later told deputies that if he had not run out of ammunition, he would have continued to fire at them. 

He said he would have been "forced to kill" the deputy, according to the affidavit.