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NH Woman Shot By Brother In Florida On Christmas Eve Before Police Kill Him

DELTONA, Fla. (CBS/AP) — A New Hampshire woman was shot by her brother in Florida on Christmas Eve moments before he was killed by police.

Gretchen Knowles, 73, of Epping, was visiting her brother at his home in Deltona, Florida, following their recent death of their mother.

She called deputies Tuesday night to report that her 65-year-old brother Harvey Cantrell had a gun and was acting irrational and being abusive, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies set up a perimeter around the home and tried talking to Cantrell to convince him to let his sister out of the house.

About a half hour into the standoff, the sister came out of the front door with Cantrell behind her. Cantrell then fired his gun at his sister, striking her in the shoulder and face, the sheriff's office said.

Three deputies then fired at Cantrell, killing him. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office posted body camera video of the shooting online on Thursday.

Deputy-involved shooting 12/24/19

*Warning: This video footage has been condensed for time and partially blurred for graphic images, but it still captures a fatal shooting* We received several inquiries about body camera footage of the Christmas Eve deputy-involved shooting on Gaucho Circle in Deltona. That footage is provided here, and the news release is below. DELTONA MAN SHOOTS SISTER, THEN IS FATALLY SHOT BY SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES A Deltona man involved in a Christmas Eve disturbance with his sister shot her after she came out of the house toward responding deputies, who then fired at the shooter, fatally wounding him. The sister survived the disturbance, which was reported to the Sheriff's Office around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday at 1003 W. Gaucho Circle. She had called an out-of-state relative saying her brother was irrational, abusive and armed with a firearm. The brother was identified as Harvey Cantrell, 65 (DOB 6/14/1954), who lives at the address. His sister, age 73, was visiting from out of state following the recent death of their mother. Responding deputies set up a perimeter at the scene and tried to establish a dialogue to get the sister out of the house. Eventually, at about 8:51 p.m., she came out the front door followed closely by Cantrell, who then fired at her, shooting her in the shoulder. The bullet then traveled toward her head and struck her face. Three deputies immediately fired at Cantrell after that shot, killing him. The shooting is under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the deputies who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative leave, as is standard following deputy-involved shootings. Sheriff Mike Chitwood credited the deputies for acting quickly to save the life of the woman who was shot. She was rushed to Central Florida Hospital in Sanford, where she was later listed in stable condition.

Posted by Volusia Sheriff's Office on Thursday, December 26, 2019

Knowles was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening wounds.

The deputies were put on administrative leave, which is standard procedure following a shooting, the sheriff's office said. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is also looking into the shooting.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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