BOCA RATON, Fla. — Police in Boca Raton have released the name of a man who was shot and killed by an officer on Wednesday.
The person was identified as Morey Clemmons, 39, who was homeless.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting, which occurred along Northwest Second Avenue between Northwest Second Street and Palmetto Park Road.
Boca Raton
Officer shoots, kills man in Boca Raton after 'encounter'
The officer, whose name has not been released, was not hurt during the incident.
WPTV's Ethan Stein spoke with Clemmons' family, who say he was loved. But he struggled with housing, which created other problems.
"Morey was just a beautiful man," said Willie Clemmons. "Morey was always an upbeat guy. He wasn't the type that would come around you angry, mean, harming."
He says his brother loved playing football and had five children. He said Morey was a positive man, who he described as a “god-fearing” Christian.
Willie says it's hard to believe his brother was involved in Wednesday's shooting.
"I’m going to miss my brother just being alive... Yeah, I’m just going to miss him being alive," he said.
Jennifer Masso said she is married to Morey and they have two children together. She told WPTV by phone Thursday evening: "I want everybody to know he was a good guy and he didn’t deserve anything [bad] to happen."
His brother says Morey struggled to find regular housing.
“We all have tried to house him, give him a place to stay,” Willie said. “When he needed money we gave him money. Homelessness was a big problem for him for many years.”
WPTV dug into court records and found Clemmons pled guilty in August to aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, along with other charges. In that case, West Palm Beach police say Clemmons threw glass bottles at officers as they tried arresting him for stealing beer and chicken wings from a Publix.
Court documents show he was sentenced to one year probation. But, after a violation, a warrant was signed on Dec. 18 — the same day as the shooting in Boca Raton.
Police have not elaborated on what prompted the officer to fire their weapon and kill Clemmons. We reached out to Boca Raton police to see if the warrant was related to the shooting. We're still working to get a response.
The last officer-involved shooting to occur in Boca Raton was July 8, 2021, at University Commons at 1400 West Glades Road, according to police spokeswoman Jessica Desir.
