Suspect Holding Knife To 7-Year-Old Brother Shot Dead By Deputy
A Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputy in Brandon, Florida, fatally shot 27-year-old Mario Camacho on Sunday, November 2, 2025, after Camacho held his 7-year-old brother at knifepoint during a domestic violence incident.
- Date and Location: The incident occurred on the afternoon of November 2, 2025, at a home on the 100 block of Alpine Drive in Brandon, an area near Tampa, Florida.
- Initial Call: Deputies were dispatched after a 911 call from Camacho’s sister, who reported that he was armed with a knife and choking their 7-year-old brother. The sister had also sustained some superficial injuries.
- Standoff: Upon arrival, deputies found Camacho had barricaded himself and the young boy in a back bedroom. Deputies could hear the child screaming for help.
- Intervention: After deputies kicked down the door and entered the room, they found Camacho holding a knife to the boy’s throat and holding him in a chokehold. Camacho, who was also wearing a motorcycle helmet and two tactical vests with ballistic plates, ignored multiple commands to drop the knife.
- The Shot: Deputy Antonio Gonzalez, after repeatedly ordering Camacho to release the child, fired a single shot, which fatally wounded Camacho and allowed the child to be rescued unharmed.
