CRESTVIEW — The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has identified the 29-year-old man who was killed during an August 8 encounter with deputies in Crestview as Antonio Austin Haner.
The incident happened at a residence in the 600 block of Alabama Street, where deputies with the OCSO Special Response Team encountered Haner during an early-morning operation.
According to Sheriff Eric Aden, Haner had active warrants connected to a series of escalating threats, including allegations of discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school and firing a weapon in a residential neighborhood.
During the encounter, Haner opened fire on deputies, sending multiple rounds toward law enforcement.
Several law enforcement assets and nearby properties were struck by gunfire, according to OCSO.
No deputies or other officers were injured during the exchange.
Haner was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation. OCSO said investigators are compiling additional information, including relevant camera footage from the incident.
That footage is currently undergoing investigative and legal review, along with required redactions, before it can be released publicly.
At OCSO’s request, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the encounter.
“[The] investigation into the encounter remains ongoing,” OCSO said in its latest update, adding that additional information will be released when possible.
Sheriff Aden previously said OCSO would not release additional details about the circumstances of the shooting while the independent investigation was underway.
OCSO has released a video providing additional information about the incident.
The investigation remains ongoing.
