The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a Hilliard woman died after a deputy-involved shooting early Wednesday morning.
Deputies responded to a call regarding a domestic situation near Barbara Lane at about 2:14 a.m. Wednesday morning. The caller said Donna Dale, 47, was threatening to harm herself.
When deputies arrived on scene, Dale’s relatives advised them she had left the residence and was somewhere outside. Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said the deputies found her using night vision goggles in the thick brush.
When they attempted to get her to come out peacefully, Leeper said, one of the deputies spotted what he described as a “dark barreled rifle.” In the dark, Leeper said the deputies had a hard time seeing what Dale was doing, and when one of the deputies thought he saw her point the gun towards them, he fired his gun. Dale was pronounced dead on scene.
It was later discovered the rifle Dale was holding was a BB gun.
NCSO held a press conference Wednesday afternoon, where Leeper told reporters the deputy who fired the shot, Christian Copher, was placed on administrative leave. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and thee State Attorney’s office are conducting the investigation into the incident.
“Nobody wants to do this,” Leeper said. “It’s traumatic for everyone.”
Dale’s family members said they were outside and could hear the shot when it happened. She leaves behind three children and other relatives who say she “will be sorely missed.”
Dale had a history of mental health incidents, having been previously Baker Acted after another incident with NCSO in December. On Dec. 12, 2022, NCSO officers responded to the same address in response to her niece’s report that Dale said she wanted to die. Her brother and mother passed away within days of each other in November.
On scene, officers said Dale grabbed a pair of scissors when they made contact with her “while aggressively yelling at her father.” Copher, who was also on scene at the time of this incident, said he “tased her and then put her in handcuffs.”
“After speaking with Mrs. Dale it was determined that without proper treatment she would cause great bodily harm to herself,” Copher wrote in the case report. “Due to this Donna was placed under a Baker Act.”
The Baker Act is a law that allows judges, law enforcement officers, doctors and mental health professionals to commit a person to a mental health treatment center for up to 72 hours. The subject must display signs of violent or suicidal tendencies in order to be Baker Acted.
Just a week before Dale’s death, on Jan. 10, she was in a vehicle crash on State Road 200 in Nassau County. A NCSO officer issued her a citation for careless driving after her car ran off the road and into the trees late at night. Leeper said the officer had no reason to believe she intended to hurt herself or others, and thus she was not Baker Acted again.
If you or a loved one are struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts and/or tendencies, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. Services are free, confidential and available 24/7. More information and resources are available at www.988lifeline.org.
hdorman@fbnewsleader.com
