A Riviera Beach police officer was “forced to use deadly force” when she was violently attacked by a man on the campus of Suncoast Community High School, according to a newly released arrest report.
29-year-old Delroy Thomas, the man who attacked her, was shot twice by Riviera Beach police officer Nadane Cherisma after he walked onto the school campus at a morning student drop-off point at around 7:15 a.m. Monday.
When he walked onto the school premises, Ms. Cherisma radioed a school district police officer, asking for assistance for a “suspicious person.”
The officer, stationed at another student drop-off point near the school’s gymnasium, heard Ms. Cherisma “giving commands to Mr. Thomas” and then witnessed him “turn completely around and attack Officer Cherisma,” according to the arrest report.
A witness who was driving onto campus to drop off his son said he saw Mr. Thomas “attacking and physically fighting Officer Cherisma” to the extent that he felt Ms. Cherisma “was going to be harmed.”
The man’s son, who was sitting beside him in the truck, said Mr. Thomas “was fighting and aggressively trying to hurt Officer Cherisma with his hands and legs,” the arrest report said. The boy “felt Officer Ms. Cherisma was struggling to defend herself as Thomas was a taller man.”
The report called the attack “unprovoked” and concluded that Ms. Cherisma was “forced to use deadly force to stop the immediate threat to herself and any possible threat to the students and staff on campus.”
After the incident, Mr. Thomas was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, which later in the day confirmed that he was in stable condition. The officer he attacked also needed medical assistance but was released from the hospital the same day.
In an interview with local broadcaster WPTV, Mr. Thomas’ family said he’s had a series of mental problems over the years—however, nothing violent, his mother added.
“He just has these episodes where he shuts down and won’t say nothing.”
Mr. Thomas has no connection to the school, according to his stepfather.
The 29-year-old is facing five charges related to the incident: resisting an officer with violence, battery on a law enforcement officer, obstruction without violence, trespassing on school grounds, and disturbing the peace.
Naturally, the shooting shook the school, causing much confusion.
The school principal announced code red over the intercom, alerting staff and students. Some were escorted to the library to hide under the tables.
Many kids alerted their parents, and long lines formed at the school as hundreds of cars arrived from worried parents.
Some parents questioned the school’s response, saying they should have been notified of code red immediately by text message, while some complained that they received notice only 40 minutes later by phone, according to WPTV.
