On a bright October afternoon in Punta Gorda, Florida, a 911 call about a dispute at a private property set in motion an encounter that would end with three sheriff's deputies struggling to restrain a man and, moments later, gunfire.

The man was 42-year-old Elroy Clarke, the owner of the property. According to court records and the body-camera footage reviewed by a federal judge, Clarke had contacted authorities seeking help with a tenant, Troy Johnson, whom Clarke wanted removed from the property. What began as a request for police assistance gradually changed when deputies discovered that Clarke himself had an outstanding arrest warrant.

The resulting confrontation lasted more than 20 minutes from the deputies' initial arrival to the shooting described in the court record—far longer than the thumbnail's "15-minute standoff" wording suggests.

And throughout those minutes, the deputies tried a series of different methods to bring Clarke into custody.

None worked.

A 911 Call Brings Deputies to the Property

Shortly after noon on October 23, 2024, a 911 call was made from Clarke's property in the Punta Gorda area of Charlotte County.

Clarke wanted deputies to remove Johnson, a man who was staying or working on the property.

Deputies Brad Stender and Mitchell Palmer arrived at approximately 12:35 p.m.

At that point, there was no indication that the encounter would become a deadly-force incident.

The deputies separated the two men and began listening to their respective accounts.

Clarke told officers that Johnson had been causing problems. Johnson gave deputies a different version of the dispute.

The body-camera recordings later became central evidence in the civil litigation that followed. A federal judge reviewed three separate body-camera recordings from Deputies Stender, Palmer and Alexander Magoon, and found no evidence in the material before the court that the videos had been altered.

Then Deputies Discover the Warrant

While speaking with Johnson, Deputy Stender began gathering identifying information about Clarke.

Deputies checked the information through the sheriff's communications system.

Eventually, dispatch confirmed that Elroy Wayne Clarke had an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in a trespass case.

That discovery completely changed the nature of the call.

The deputies were no longer simply mediating a property dispute.

They now had a reason to arrest Clarke.

Stender requested additional assistance, telling other personnel that Clarke was a large man and might resist arrest.

The footage shows the deputies continuing to speak with Clarke while waiting for additional help.

Clarke, however, insisted that the deputies had no authority over him.

He repeatedly told them that his name was Ben Dey, not Elroy Clarke.

The deputies disagreed.

They had identified Clarke through the information available to them, including his photograph and address.

The Arrest Attempt Begins

Stender eventually told Clarke about the outstanding warrant.

Clarke continued to dispute his identity and questioned the deputies' authority to arrest him.

The verbal exchange became increasingly tense.

The deputies repeatedly instructed Clarke to put his hands behind his back.

He refused.

Stender warned him that he would be tased if he did not comply.

Clarke continued talking over the deputies and challenged their commands.

Then Stender deployed his Taser.

The first deployment did not end the confrontation.

According to the court's reconstruction of the body-camera footage, Clarke removed the Taser wires within several seconds.

Stender deployed a second Taser cartridge.

Again, Clarke was able to remove the wires.

The deputies continued ordering him to the ground.

He remained standing.

Pepper Spray Doesn't End the Struggle

The deputies tried another less-lethal option.

Stender announced that he was deploying pepper spray.

The spray struck Clarke in the face.

But the confrontation continued.

Clarke wiped the spray from his eyes and remained on his feet.

Stender then attempted to physically take Clarke to the ground.

The attempt failed.

According to the court's description of the video, Clarke pushed Stender away and told him not to touch him.

The deputy then retrieved his baton.

At this point, two deputies were attempting to control Clarke, but they had still not been able to place him in handcuffs.

And another deputy was on the way.

A Third Deputy Arrives

Deputy Alexander Magoon arrived at the property.

His arrival added another officer to an already tense scene.

Almost immediately, Magoon deployed his Taser twice.

Clarke reacted, and Stender pushed him toward the ground.

For a brief moment, the three deputies were able to get Clarke down.

But Clarke managed to roll the deputies off him.

He got back onto his feet.

The deputies again ordered him to the ground.

Again, he refused.

The court record describes a prolonged physical struggle involving Taser deployments, attempts to restrain Clarke and a baton strike to his knee.

At one point, Magoon warned Clarke that he could be shot.

The deputies continued attempting to gain compliance while also requesting additional assistance.

Deputies Try to Avoid Deadly Force

The bodycam footage also captures the deputies discussing the situation among themselves.

Stender told responding personnel that they were attempting to avoid lethal force.

Meanwhile, Clarke continued to refuse commands.

The confrontation had now gone well beyond a simple arrest.

The deputies had already tried several methods:

Verbal commands.

Tasers.

Pepper spray.

Physical restraint.

A baton.

None had produced compliance.

A K-9 unit was also reported to be approximately eleven minutes away.

But the deputies still had to deal with the situation in front of them.

The Beanbag Shotgun

Stender returned to his patrol vehicle and retrieved a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with beanbag rounds, a less-lethal projectile intended for situations where officers need another option short of a conventional firearm.

He warned Clarke that the weapon would be used.

The deputies again ordered him to get on the ground.

Clarke refused.

Stender announced that he was going less lethal.

Then he fired.

The first beanbag struck Clarke.

He remained standing.

A second round followed.

Still, Clarke did not go to the ground.

Stender fired a third beanbag round.

The confrontation had now reached its most critical point.

The less-lethal weapon had also failed to end the struggle.

Clarke Moves Toward the Deputies

According to the federal court's review of the body-camera footage, after the third beanbag round, Clarke brought his fists toward his chest and began moving toward the deputies.

Magoon responded by firing his service weapon.

The court record states that Magoon fired approximately six or seven rounds as Clarke moved toward the deputies.

Clarke reached toward Magoon's arm.

Magoon stumbled backward and fired another series of rounds.

Clarke then began falling.

Stender fired another round as Clarke attempted to rise.

The gunfire stopped.

The entire confrontation had changed in an instant.

The Scene Goes Quiet

Immediately after the shooting, the deputies ordered Clarke to put his hands behind his back.

There was no response.

Stender approached and placed Clarke in handcuffs.

More deputies arrived within approximately a minute.

Medical assistance was requested.

But Clarke had suffered multiple gunshot wounds and ultimately died at the scene.

One deputy suffered a head injury during the physical confrontation and was later treated and released, according to the public description accompanying the released body-camera video.

No uninvolved members of the public were reported injured.

The Case Did Not End With the Shooting

The shooting generated further scrutiny and eventually federal litigation.

Clarke's estate filed a lawsuit against Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell and deputies involved in the incident, alleging excessive force and other constitutional and state-law violations. The family's allegations described the encounter differently from the deputies' account and challenged the manner in which the arrest and force were carried out.

The federal court reviewed the body-camera recordings in detail.

That is significant because the case was not decided solely on a written police narrative. The court specifically considered video evidence from three deputies and personally reviewed the recordings.

In March 2026, the court granted the defendants' motion to dismiss the amended complaint, while allowing the estate an opportunity to amend.

Then, on September 4, 2026, the federal court granted the defendants' later motion to dismiss the second amended complaint with prejudice, directing that judgment be entered for the defendants and closing the case.

The dismissal was a ruling on the legal claims before the court; it should not be confused with a factual finding that every allegation made by either side was true or false.

Fifteen Minutes of Escalation

Watching the footage, the defining feature of the encounter is its progression.

There was no immediate gunfire.

Instead, there was a long sequence of attempts to gain compliance.

First came conversation.

Then the arrest announcement.

Then repeated commands.

Then Taser deployments.

Then pepper spray.

Then physical attempts to restrain Clarke.

Then the baton.

Then a third deputy joined the effort.

Then a less-lethal shotgun was brought into the encounter.

Then beanbag rounds were fired.

And finally, after Clarke moved toward the deputies, conventional firearms were discharged.

The sequence is important because each stage changed the circumstances of the next.

What started as a property dispute became an arrest.

The arrest became a physical struggle.

The struggle became a prolonged less-lethal confrontation.

And the less-lethal confrontation ultimately ended with deadly gunfire.

The Final Seconds

The bodycam footage leaves viewers with a stark contrast.

The scene begins under a bright Florida sky.

Three deputies are attempting to resolve an increasingly difficult arrest.

Clarke remains standing despite repeated commands and multiple uses of less-lethal force.

Then, in a matter of seconds, the sound of gunfire replaces the shouting.

Clarke falls.

The deputies secure him.

Medical assistance is requested.

And the encounter that had consumed so many minutes is suddenly over.

For investigators, the important questions begin after the gunfire: what happened, what each person could see, what commands were given, how the force progressed, and whether the deputies' actions complied with the law.

For the public, the bodycam recordings provide a rare opportunity to examine the sequence for themselves.

A Case Captured Frame by Frame

The October 23, 2024 incident in Punta Gorda remains a powerful example of how quickly a law-enforcement call can change direction.

A man called police seeking help with another person on his property.

Deputies arrived expecting to address a dispute.

Then they discovered an outstanding warrant.

The attempted arrest lasted for an extended period and involved multiple officers and several different methods of force before the final exchange of gunfire.

Elroy Clarke died at the scene.

A deputy was injured during the struggle.

And the resulting investigation and litigation continued long after the body cameras stopped recording.

The footage preserves those critical minutes—not as a simple story of a beginning and an ending, but as a sequence of decisions, resistance, commands and escalating force.

One call brought the deputies to the property. One warrant changed the purpose of the encounter. And after multiple attempts to take Clarke into custody failed, the final seconds were decided by gunfire.