J.D. Gallop

FLORIDA TODAY

Family members of a 25-year-old man killed by an off-duty Brevard County sheriff’s deputy in an apparent road rage confrontation are raising questions about what happened as investigators sort through the evidence.

The Father’s Day shooting happened about 11:15 a.m. Sunday along a quiet stretch of the St. John’s Heritage Parkway off of Emerson. Family members said Clarence Mahogany Howard and a friend were out getting air for a bicycle when they encountered deputy Yousef Hafza.

Investigators said that it appeared that the driver of the car in which Clarence Mahogany Howard was in followed the off-duty deputy’s vehicle to the parkway.

At that point a confrontation took place and Hafza fired several shots. The off-duty deputy then apparently left the scene where Howard was wounded and called 9-1-1 from a different location.

One person dies after being shot by off-duty deputy in Palm Bay

“I’m devastated. Why would you leave the scene?” said Howard's father, Clarence Williams, who was at his home in Lakeland when he learned of the shooting.

“We have not even seen his body and no one in authority has even talked to us to tell us what has happened. My son had three children and was a sweet guy, very respectful."

Howard's family members said the driver, who has not been identified, remained at the scene and also called 9-1-1. Police have not said who was driving the car nor released any other details, including how many 9-1-1 calls were placed.

FLORIDA TODAY requested the 9-1-1 recordings and other records from Palm Bay police and Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which typically is asked to investigate police-involved shootings.

"We have asked Palm Bay not to release the 911 calls at this point because we continue to conduct the first interviews in the case and release of information now can jeopardize the information we receive in the interviews," said Gretl Plessinger, spokeswoman for FDLE.

Also, investigators have not revealed if any other weapons were involved. Police said Howard was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne where he was pronounced dead.

There was no video surveillance, and outside of the other person in the vehicle, no other apparent witnesses, officials reported.

FDLE is reviewing the evidence and will send a report to the Brevard County state attorney’s office.

The state attorney’s office will then decide if the shooting was justifiable. Authorities say other facts may emerge that could assist in explaining the off-duty officer's concerns.

Hafza, credited over the years by supervisors with commendable police work and making inroads to the county’s growing Arab-speaking population, had worked for the Palm Bay and West Melbourne police departments before joining the sheriff’s office in 2015. Sunday's shooting was his second to be investigated by the state agency. In Dec. 2008, then Palm Bay Police Officer Hafza, shot and wounded a 31-year-old man who investigators said pointed a weapon at officers. The man survived the shooting, records show.

Hafza has been placed on administrative leave from the sheriff's office with pay pending the outcome of the FDLE investigation. An autopsy on Howard was conducted Monday.

Family members said Howard grew up in Melbourne and was a drummer in church. In recent years he worked moving furniture and was raising his three children with his girlfriend, Williams said. Howard also had a criminal arrest record that included a possession of cannabis and battery charge in 2012, court records show.

“I spoke to him last week about going to an aquarium,” Williams said. “I just don’t understand.”

Contact Gallop at 321-242-3642, jdgallop@floridatoday.com and Twitter@JDGallop