A 19-year-old man is in critical condition after a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy responding to a domestic call on Tuesday night shot him as he “advanced toward” them while swinging a machete, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies went to a home in the 7400 block of 43rd Terrace North near Riviera Beach about 6 p.m. for a call of a domestic disturbance, spokesperson Teri Barbera said in a news release late Tuesday night.
As the deputies were taking information from a woman standing underneath the carport of the home, a man, identified on Wednesday as Andre Mayard, came out of the home and grabbed a machete from a nearby bush, Barbera said. He then walked toward the deputies while swinging it over his head.
Deputies tried to de-escalate and ordered him to drop the weapon, but “despite these repeated commands, the suspect continued moving toward the deputies,” according to the news release.
“At this point, a PBSO deputy discharged his firearm, striking the suspect,” Barbera said.
Mayard was taken to the hospital in critical condition. His condition was unchanged Wednesday.
The deputy who shot Mayard has been placed on administrative leave, as is customary. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office are investigating, the news release said.
It is at least the 15th shooting involving South Florida law enforcement officers since the beginning of 2025. In April, a PBSO deputy shot and killed a 20-year-old man who was stabbing his father to death with a sword.

