Tyler Vazquez

FLORIDA TODAY

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Tuesday arrested a Brevard County Sheriff's Office deputy in connection with the fatal June 19 roadside shooting of a 25-year-old man in Palm Bay.

Yousef Hafza, 32, was charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in the shooting death of Clarence Howard. Hafza was off duty at the time of the incident and was not acting in the capacity of a law enforcement officer at the time of the shooting, FDLE said.

The sheriff's office said Hafza had been a deputy since November 2015 in the West Precinct Patrol division. He previously served with Palm Bay Police Department, Orange County Sheriff's Office and West Melbourne Police Department.

Sheriff Wayne Ivey spoke to media at the sheriff's office in Titusville on Tuesday afternoon, emphasizing the importance of having FDLE conduct an independent investigation.

"There's not a whole lot I can tell you about the investigation. What I can tell you is investigations of this type are always extremely difficult where it's one of your own," Ivey said. "From the very beginning, our agency felt that it was appropriate to have FDLE investigate this as a completely independent agency so they could present their findings to the state attorney's office."

For family members, questions about police shooting

"Pursuant to the arrest, Hafza was immediately suspended from our agency without pay pending an administrative review of the incident. Once FDLE has completed their investigation, they will provide a copy of the findings, which will furnish the information required to complete the administrative investigation."

Ivey said that it was important for FDLE and BCSO to keep their investigations separate to maintain the independence of the outside agency.

The shooting took place just after 11 a.m. on June 19 near St. Johns Heritage Parkway and Emerson Drive, where Hafza reported that two men were chasing him.

9-1-1 calls surface in off-duty Brevard deputy shooting

Family members said Howard and the car's driver were out getting air for a bicycle when the incident happened.

FDLE described the confrontation between Hafza and Howard as a road rage incident that occurred after the two nearly collided. The driver of the car and Howard began following Hafza when they stopped and exited their vehicles, according to reports.

There also may have been a self-defense component of the shooting, Ivey said, but he could not offer specific details about the nature of the confrontation. Initial reports from law enforcement officials said that there were no other weapons present at the scene other than Hafza's gun.

"The thing with self defense is the state attorney's office has to look at it and see if self-defense applies. They looked at the case and felt that these were the appropriate charges," he said.

No information was available on whether or not Hafza used his service weapon in the shooting, but Ivey told reporters deputies are allowed to be armed while off duty.

"We encourage our deputies to always be armed and most of them do. I would think almost all of them do. Generally speaking, they're going to be carrying their firearm," he said.

Hafza, a West Melbourne resident, was taken to Brevard County Jail where he is being held without bond. He is represented by attorney Martin White, who was reluctant to talk about the details of the case on Tuesday. Hafza and his attorney chose to have the first appearance waived by Judge Michelle Baker on Tuesday afternoon.

"Of course he's upset and distraught... he's hanging in there," White said of Hafza. He also maintained his client's innocence and declined to comment on why he made the decision to waive the first appearance.

No future court dates have been scheduled for Hafza, according to the clerk of courts website.

Howard left behind three children after his death on Father's Day. 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.

Contact the reporter at tvazquez@floridatoday.com, 321-917-7491 or on twitter @tyler_vazquez.