Fla. deputy charged in 2013 shooting death

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. - A South Florida sheriff's deputy was charged Friday with manslaughter in the 2013 shooting death of a man who was carrying only an air rifle and might have been unable to hear commands to drop it because he was listening to music through earbuds.

The grand jury indictment released Friday charges Deputy Peter Peraza with manslaughter with a firearm in the shooting of Jermaine McBean, 33, who was black. Peraza, a 14-year veteran of the Broward Sheriff's Office who is listed as white in jail records, faces up to 30 years in state prison if convicted.

Peraza turned himself in at the county jail Friday morning and later appeared in bond court, where bail was set at $25,000.

Sheriff Scott Israel said in a statement that Peraza has been suspended without pay while the criminal case moves forward.

"I truly believe every hardworking deputy and officer in our nation is committed and dedicated to the community they serve. This is why they put their lives on the line each and every day. They believe in justice and how our judicial system should work," Israel said.

"For everyone in this case the McBean family, the Peraza family, the BSO family, everyone in our community - we want truth and justice to prevail," he said.

Peraza's attorney, Eric Schwartzreich, predicted at the bond hearing that his client will be acquitted and said charges such as this against police officers "are going to have a chilling effect because they are going to be afraid to do their jobs."

"The gun looked very real. And when an officer perceives someone carrying what could be a real rifle walking down the street and pointing it at someone, it doesn't matter if it's real or not," Schwartzreich added.

Peraza shot McBean July 31, 2013, outside his apartment complex near Fort Lauderdale after 911 callers reported seeing him carrying what appeared to be a real rifle down a busy street and near a pool filled with children. It turned out to be an authentic-looking air rifle. McBean was wearing earbuds that his family has said might have interfered with his hearing.