A longtime Florida deputy has retired just two weeks after a deadly confrontation with a 50-year-old man that was captured on body camera footage and is now under review by state prosecutors.
Deputy First Class Timothy Poole, a 22-year Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office veteran, officially retired on October 9, according to the agency. His decision came shortly after he fatally shot Daniel Scott Burch, 50, during a tense encounter outside Burch’s condo in Deep Creek, Florida, on September 23, 2025.
Authorities say the incident unfolded over the course of one day. That morning, deputies responded to a report of criminal mischief at the Saxony Circle condominium complex, where property damage was believed to be caused by Burch. Deputy Poole took a report and left the scene.
Later that afternoon, deputies were called again after Burch allegedly punched a man in the face at the nearby Deep Creek Golf Club. The victim, who lived next door to Burch, asked for a deputy escort to return home because he feared another confrontation.
When Deputy Poole accompanied the man to the condo, body camera footage shows a heated exchange between Burch and the deputy. According to the sheriff’s office, Burch ignored repeated commands, taunted the deputy to “Do it” when Poole drew his Taser, and resisted two Taser deployments that appeared ineffective.
Moments later, Burch allegedly took a fighting stance, then pulled out his cellphone to record. Sheriff Bill Prummell said the situation escalated when Burch swiped at and grabbed for Poole’s gun, prompting the deputy to open fire.
Burch was airlifted to a hospital but died two days later, on September 25.
Burch owned Blue Chip Builders LLC, a homebuilding company registered at the same address where the shooting occurred. Neighbors told authorities he had helped build several of the condominiums in the area.
According to Sheriff Prummell, deputies had responded to calls involving Burch 33 times, and he was listed as the aggressor in 11 of those incidents. Court records show he had a prior arrest in 2020 for resisting an officer, to which he later pleaded no contest.
Sheriff Prummell released the body camera footage and made an unusually frank statement about the deputy’s actions in a press conference on October 8.
“Today I can’t stand before you and state in confidence that, like with the other cases, that we did everything we should have done,” Prummell said.
Poole had spent more than three decades in public service, including eight years with the Florida Department of Corrections and eight years in the U.S. Air Force.
Sheriff’s officials said Poole’s retirement does not affect the ongoing investigation. The State Attorney’s Office is now reviewing the case to determine whether the shooting was legally justified under Florida’s use-of-force laws.
Under state statute, deadly force is permitted when an officer “reasonably believes” it’s necessary to prevent “imminent death or great bodily harm.”
The outcome of that review will determine whether the veteran deputy’s final act on duty was justified — or a tragic misstep that ended two lives in a matter of seconds.
