Cape Coral police shoot, kill drunk man during armed confrontation

A 73-year-old man was killed by Cape Coral police officers after, they said, he aimed a gun at them while drunk.

According to the Cape Coral Police Department, officers shot Roland Halle after being called to a home on Northeast Fifth Lane, early Sunday night. Just before 6 p.m., police said a drunken Halle got into an argument with his roommate and destroyed her property.

Cape Coral police had been called to that house twice the night before for similar arguments between the roommates. Officers said Halle was armed with a gun when they got to the house. They tried to de-escalate the situation, but ultimately fired at Halle and struck him several times after he pointed the gun at them.

“Mr. Halle became agitated, was resistant to those efforts, and his demeanor became heightened,” said Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore in a press conference after the shooting. “During the conversation with our officers, he became aggressive and ultimately picked up a handgun and challenged our officers by brandishing that firearm.”

Police said officers on the scene tried life-saving efforts, but Halle was pronounced dead.

“Our officers performed exemplary under the circumstances; they were decisive in their actions and they fell back to their level of training exactly like they were trained,” Sizemore said, “and after the incident, our officers without delay jumped in and began life-saving measures as we are trained, but unfortunately, Mr. Halle succumbed to the injuries.”

The officers involved were placed on administrative leave, which is regular protocol, but Sizemore said they did follow their training and performed accordingly.

For neighbors, this was a scary scene they won’t soon forget.

“It just sounds like a bunch of bangs because we live close to Del Prado and Pine Island,” said Barbara Devine, neighbor. “So we hear a lot of backfire. Anyhow, so you pick your head up and you listen, but we didn’t hear any sirens.”

Devine saw Cape Coral police at the neighborhood in the early morning hours.

“It started about five o’clock and then last night I was up till 2:30 looking and they were still here, and then about 4:30 when I came out it was it was gone,” Devine said.

“It’s really sad,” Devine said. “It’s sad that he lost his life, and it’s sad for the officers that had to shoot him. So it’s how I feel. And it’s it’s bad to be in your neighborhood.”

After reviewing the body camera footage, Chief Sizemore is confident his officers were justified in using deadly force.