Justice has been suspended without pay since the incident, a disciplinary decision had not yet been made pending the results of an internal investigation.
The incident occurred at about 12:35 p.m. on November 12, 2013, at the home of telecommunication officer Shauna Justice,28, who lives near New Smyrna Beach. That’s when a reporter from WESH-2 News knocked on Justice’s door, with no camera or microphone in hand, to see if she would be willing to be interviewed for a story. When Justice answered the door, she pointed a gun at the reporter’s head through the exterior storm door and yelled at the reporter to get off of her property. Fearing for her life, the reporter backed away while trying to get Justice to calm down. Justice then walked out the door and continued to point the gun at the reporter, only dropping her arm down to her side when the reporter returned to her news van. She (the reporter)and her photographer then drove off.
When responding deputies questioned Justice, she admitted pointing the gun at the reporter, saying that she believed she was justified because she was protecting her property and felt harassed to the point where she felt threatened. However, the deputy wrote in his report that Justice made no mention of any threats to her physical well-being that would have justified her pointing a gun at the reporter.
Justice was arrested and charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. She was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach on $1,500 bond. Deputies seized a 9mm semi-automatic handgun that was loaded with 11 rounds in the magazine, but didn’t have a round chambered.
Justice was hired by the Sheriff’s Office in April 2007.
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