Police body cam footage shows officer saving 7-year-old boy from older brother holding him at knife point

A Florida sheriff’s deputy is being hailed as a hero after fatally shooting a knife-wielding man who was choking his 7-year-old brother during a harrowing domestic violence incident on Sunday, authorities said.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Anthony Gonzalez, 25, responded to a frantic 911 call from a woman who reported that her brother was attacking family members inside their home near Tampa. The suspect, later identified as Mario Camacho, 27, had already injured his sister, who was bleeding from superficial cuts from her mouth, and had dragged his young brother into a bedroom at knifepoint.

“For lack of a better term, he was a hostage in his own house,” Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said during a press briefing.

Bodycam footage released by the sheriff’s office shows Gonzalez and fellow deputies arriving on scene and repeatedly ordering Camacho to surrender. Moments later, officers heard the terrified child screaming, “Break the door down!”

Without hesitation, Gonzalez kicked open the locked bedroom door, forcing his way past makeshift barricades of mattresses and furniture. Inside, he confronted a chilling sight: Camacho, wearing a motorcycle helmet and two tactical vests with ballistic plates, was holding the boy in a chokehold with one hand and a knife in the other.

Gonzalez raised his firearm and commanded Camacho to drop the weapon multiple times. When the suspect refused and continued to endanger the child, Gonzalez fired a single, precise shot to the head, instantly incapacitating Camacho and ending the life-threatening standoff.

The young boy was pulled to safety, unharmed. Camacho was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities said the deputy’s actions were justified and likely saved the child’s life.

“Deputy Gonzalez’s decisive and courageous action prevented what could have been a tragic murder,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “He acted with the kind of bravery and precision we hope for in every law enforcement officer.”

The sheriff’s office confirmed that the incident remains under standard internal review, but officials emphasized that Gonzalez’s use of force appeared “necessary and heroic under the circumstances.”