One person dead in deputy-involved shooting in suburban West Palm Beach

SUBURBAN WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A man yelled into the December night wondering if his loved one was still alive.

But what Wence Louissaint soon found out was that his nephew, 17, had been shot dead, said Louissaint.

"They killed my nephew. They killed him. The cops killed him. He wasn't that type of person," he said.

One person, identified by the family as Claude Devin Jolicoeur, is dead after a deputy-involved shooting in the 5700 block of Orchard Way, near Belvedere Road and Jog Road.

The shooting happened around 5:36 p.m., deputies say. Authorities say two deputies approached two men in a parked car on Orchard Way in Suburban West Palm Beach.

Witnesses heard the gunshots, but Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said those shots were the sound of the deputies protecting their own lives.

"The deputies did what they had to do to save their own lives because this guy was obviously going to fight," said Bradshaw.

A PBSO spokesperson says a neighbor had called 911 at about 5:15 p.m. to report suspicious activity - possibly related to narcotics.

Authorities say when they arrived,  a suspect tried to run. The sheriff says the deputies saw one suspect with a gun and had no choice but to shoot. The other suspect was taken into custody.

PBSO officials said the suspects are associates of those now in custody for the shooting death of retired FHP K-9 Drake a couple of weeks ago.

Both deputies were placed on paid leave, which is protocol in these situations, PBSO said.