In an incident captured on newly released body camera footage, a Florida deputy is observed firing multiple rounds at his patrol vehicle after mistakenly interpreting the sound of an acorn hitting the car’s roof as a muted gunshot.

The video is part of an investigation conducted by the sheriff’s office, revealing the dramatic moments in November 2023 when the deputy discharged his weapon while a handcuffed suspect was situated inside the patrol vehicle.

“I’m hit! I’m hit!” the deputy, Jesse Hernandez, can be heard yelling, though no one was shooting at him.

As he fell to the ground, Hernandez shouted “Shots fired!” on four occasions, as depicted in the video and detailed in an internal investigation conducted by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office of Professional Standards.

Subsequently, he discharged his weapon at the patrol vehicle, ABC News reported.

According to the report, a sergeant from the sheriff’s office also fired multiple rounds at the patrol vehicle, under the belief that Hernandez was in imminent danger.

After the sergeant asked if he was OK, Hernandez responded, “I’m good, I feel weird but I’m good,” the footage shows.

On November 12, 2023, the two individuals had been dispatched to respond to a report of a stolen vehicle at a residence near Fort Walton Beach, as outlined in the report.

A woman had notified law enforcement, expressing that her boyfriend was refusing to return her vehicle and had issued threats through calls and texts, including images resembling a firearm suppressor pointed at the dashboard of her vehicle, as stated in a news release from the sheriff’s office.

The boyfriend was apprehended, searched, handcuffed, and placed in the back of Hernandez’s patrol vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.

During an attempt to perform another search near the vehicle, Hernandez informed investigators that he perceived what he believed to be the sound of a “suppressed weapon” coming from the side, as detailed in the report.

According to the report, both Hernandez and the sergeant discharged their weapons at the patrol car until their firearms were emptied.

The boyfriend emerged unharmed, and no weapon was discovered, as confirmed by the sheriff’s office, ABC News reported.

The investigation concluded that Hernandez’s use of force was deemed “not objectively reasonable,” leading to his resignation during the investigation on December 4, 2023, almost a year after joining the force, as stated by the sheriff’s office.

On the other hand, the sergeant’s use of force was considered “objectively reasonable,” resulting in her exoneration, as reported by the sheriff’s office.

Sheriff Eric Aden of Okaloosa County stated that both individuals were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.

Written by B.C. Begley