Indian River County - Thursday July 21, 2022: The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office has released a dramatic video of a chase after 42-year-old Curtis Kimbrough, accused of kidnapping two women last month, a chase that ended when Deputies shot and killed Kimbrough. The two women in his vehicle were freed, and un-harmed.
It happened on the evening of Saturday June 25. Indian River County Sheriff deputies used license plate reading technology to track down a vehicle being driven by Kimbrough that fled from the scene of a reported kidnapping in Osceola County.
(The video begins with an update on a separate officer-involved shooting incident, followed by the chase, and the shooting death of Kimbrough.)
VIEW the video released by the IRC Sheriff's Office HERE https://fb.watch/epu1_-0_IB/
At the start of the video shots are heard, fired from Kimbrough's vehicle at pursing patrol cars, as they speed north on Route 1.
Kimbrough vehicle is seen speeding past other vehicles, and at one point he drove into the opposite lane, forcing oncoming traffic to scurry aside. The Indian River County Sheriff helicopter joined the chase and following Kimbrough into the back roads of Brevard County where he crashed through a gate at the end of a dead end road and into a field where his car got caught in sandy soil.
Deputies converge and surround the vehicle, calling out for Kimbrough to surrender., calling out to Kimbrough - "Curtis you are completely surrounded, you have multiple firearms pointed at you. There is no way out."
Kimbrough finally exits, but not to surrender, he is seen in the night scope video shot by the hovering SLC Sheriff helicopter, holding a hostage as he backs away from his vehicle. "He's got a gun," shouts one deputy. "He's using the person as a shield," says the helicopter pilot.
Deputies wait for an opportunity, then fire multiple times. Kimbrough is shot dead. The hostage is freed.
“This guy Curtis Kimbrough had this woman at gunpoint. He had a gun to her head and our deputies were able to take a shot and ultimately end his life," said Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers. " The 18th Judicial Circuit has cleared these deputies, has determined that their actions were justified and they are truly heroes in this incident.”
The officers involved have returned to duty.
