Palm Beach County deputies shot and killed a 30-year-old Army veteran after more than 90 minutes of talks at Sandalfoot Square, west of Boca Raton. FDLE is investigating.

Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a 30-year-old man late Wednesday at Sandalfoot Square, a shopping plaza on State Road 7 west of Boca Raton. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said deputies had spent more than 90 minutes trying to talk the armed man down.

The Sheriff’s Office identified him Thursday as Joshua Senfeld, 30, an Army veteran. The Palm Beach Post and CBS12 carried the identification.

The plaza, at 23066 State Road 7, is in unincorporated Palm Beach County near the Broward County line. It is outside the Boca Raton city limits, so the Sheriff’s Office, not the Boca Raton Police Department, responded.

What the Sheriff’s Office said

Bradshaw spoke at a news conference Thursday, Oct. 29. The Sheriff’s Office has not posted a written release on its own website. His account, as carried by WPTV, the Palm Beach Post and CBS12:

  • A relative called shortly after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to say the man was suicidal and had a gun.
  • Deputies found him at Sandalfoot Square at about 9:55 p.m.
  • Negotiations lasted until about 11:29 p.m., when deputies fired.
  • Fire Rescue paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
  • The deputies involved are on paid administrative leave, which is agency policy.

“They talked to this guy a long, long time, trying to talk him down,” Bradshaw said.

He said a deputy who is a veteran tried to reach him. “Even one of our guys who’s a vet kind of connected with him a little bit,” Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw said the man stood up with the gun “in the ready position,” and deputies fired. “When people present to you that you’re going to be in jeopardy, you don’t have to wait till they shoot at you,” he said.

The sheriff said investigators were still working out how a Sheriff’s Office vehicle at the scene came to have what appeared to be bullet holes in it.

Who is investigating

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating, as is standard after a deputy-involved shooting, Bradshaw said. The State Attorney’s Office will review the case. The Sheriff’s Office is also running its own internal investigation.

The Sheriff’s Office has not said how many deputies fired or how many shots were fired.

What it means for you

The plaza was a police scene overnight. Bradshaw did not describe any continuing risk to the public.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Veterans and their families can press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line. Both are free and open 24 hours a day.

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