A Florida man who intervened in a violent roadside attack on a sheriff’s deputy has been cleared of all criminal charges. The State Attorney’s Office ruled that Ashad Russell, 35, acted lawfully when he shot and killed Edward Strother, 53, during the November 2016 incident on Interstate 75.
According to reports, Lee County Deputy Dean Bardes had pulled Strother over for speeding when Strother allegedly tackled the officer to the ground and began beating him. Russell, a licensed concealed carrier, stopped his car and rushed to help after witnessing the assault.
When Bardes saw Russell approach with a gun, he shouted for him to shoot. After several warnings for Strother to back off, Russell fired three shots, fatally striking Strother in the neck.
Sheriff Mike Scott later praised Russell as a hero, writing, “He stopped another man of color from killing a white cop — a reminder that all life matters.”
Prosecutors concluded that Russell’s use of deadly force was justified to prevent “imminent death or great bodily harm.”
However, Strother’s brother criticized the decision, questioning whether deadly force was necessary, saying, “They’re calling him a good Samaritan? Was my brother armed?”
