The Titusville Police Department (TPD) has released a detailed video presentation that includes body camera footage and an extensive narrative from Police Chief John Lau regarding the fatal officer-involved shooting of 25-year-old TriMarea Charles.

The video was published following the conclusion of an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and a review by the State Attorney for the 18th Judicial Circuit, which deemed the officers’ use of deadly force to be justified.

The incident occurred on the night of February 7, 2025, in front of a residence at 490 South Robbins Avenue.

In the video, Chief Lau states the video evidence was withheld until the conclusion of the independent investigation to protect the case’s integrity, despite “outside pressure to release the video prematurely”. The State Attorney’s review was finalized on June 10, 2025.

Lau began his presentation by addressing criticism his department has received over the past few months from what he described as “a small group of vocal people” pushing their “own crooked agenda”. He stated these individuals have “no first hand knowledge of the case” and that their claims have been based on speculation. Some of these critics, he noted, do not reside in Titusville.

Lead-Up to the Incident

Chief Lau detailed significant police activity at 490 South Robbins Avenue in the month prior to the shooting. The department received repeated calls for service, including nine related to gun violence from that specific address. According to a TPD heat map, the residence was the center of a high frequency of calls for service over a four-month period.

The department’s investigation into the address included an undercover purchase of illegal drugs, which led to a search warrant being served on February 5, 2025, two days before the shooting. During the warrant service, over 15 individuals were detained, including several juveniles. While the search yielded narcotics and a single handgun, investigators later learned that a “bucket of guns” had allegedly been removed from the home just before police arrived.

On February 7, just 11 minutes before the fatal encounter, the TPD received another 911 call reporting shots fired in the area. Police also had information about a planned “open house party” at the residence that evening.

Police Account of the Shooting

According to Chief Lau’s narrative, uniformed patrol officers established a perimeter around the house to prevent further gun violence. As an officer requested the homeowner to come outside, TriMarea Charles ran out of the front door, tripped over a walker, and fell. As he fell, a handgun dropped from his waistband onto the walkway in front of an officer.

The officer immediately alerted other officers on the scene by yelling, “He has a gun”. The TPD states Charles then swung a closed fist at the officer and pushed him in the chest. Charles then turned back, retrieved the firearm he had dropped, and ran in a northeastern direction toward a second officer.

Chief Lau stated that as Charles ran, he quickly turned his body toward the first officer while transferring the handgun from his left to his right hand. At that moment, both officers discharged their weapons, firing until Charles fell to the ground. The entire shooting incident lasted less than five seconds.

The video released by TPD includes audio of what Chief Lau describes as a “dying declaration” from Charles after he was shot, in which he can be heard saying, “I’m dead”. Officers began life-saving measures, but Charles died from his wounds.

FDLE Investigation Findings

The subsequent investigation, led by the FDLE, revealed several key details:

• TriMarea Charles was a four-time convicted felon in Florida and was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
• The investigation found that the trigger on Charles’s handgun was depressed, indicating it had been pulled.
• His firearm, a Glock 45-caliber handgun, was equipped with an extended high-capacity magazine capable of holding 30 rounds.
• The FDLE crime lab discovered the firearm had been illegally modified with a “Glock switch,” converting it from a semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic machine gun. Possession of such a device is a federal crime carrying a 10-year prison sentence.
• The firearm was also linked to five separate violent crimes in Fort Lauderdale, including an attempted murder and a robbery.

The TPD video listed the criminal offenses Charles allegedly committed on February 7: aggravated assault on a police officer, battery on a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, resisting arrest with violence, and others.

Contrasting Accounts

Snippets of audio included in the TPD’s video presentation offer a conflicting narrative. In these clips, a witness speaking with an officer said Charles dropped a gun and picked it back up. In a separate clip from a news interview, the same witness claimed Charles had dropped a vape, not a gun, and was shot when he tried to retrieve it. “When he turned around to go grab it, they yelled out, gun, and they started shooting the man.”

Conclusion

Chief Lau concluded the presentation by stating that any loss of life is tragic. “I am deeply saddened that they were forced to take action to protect themselves, and our community,” he said of his officers. He also noted that since the February 7 incident, the TPD has not received any calls relating to shots being fired in the area of 490 South Robbins Avenue.

The full video presentation released by the Titusville Police Department is included below. Viewer discretion is strongly advised due to graphic content.

This remains a developing story. Talk of Titusville is committed to providing our community with factual, unbiased information as it becomes available.