OCALA, Fla. — Channel 9 has uncovered new details in an Ocala hospital shooting that killed a man in custody.
According to documents obtained by Channel 9, 27-year-old Cody Dennis was killed after he was shot by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital.
The documents state there were several witnesses to the shooting which happened inside the emergency room: including multiple nurses, paramedics, and a resident doctor. They detail what Ocala police officers say happened.
However, Cody’s father Jerry Dennis calls a reported hospital surveillance camera “technical malfunction” just one of many holes in the report.
“I want answers, and I want justice,” said Cody’s father Jerry Dennis.
Grappling with questions about his son’s death, Jerry told Channel 9, Cody was just days away from formally enlisting in the army when he was killed.
He said Cody was on his way to meet with a recruiter in Jacksonville before a trooper stopped him near Ocala.
The Florida Highway Patrol hasn’t shared why Cody was arrested during that traffic stop, but according to Jerry, Cody had anxiety and was taken to the hospital to have his blood pressure checked after the stop.
An Ocala Police Report Channel 9 obtained via record request says inside the hospital Cody got into a verbal then physical altercation with the FHP trooper and an Ocala Police Officer who was also present.
“They were going to let him use the restroom, and then he started getting stupid,” said one witness.
According to the report, a witness told police the trooper tried to tase Cody, before Cody turned the taser around on officers.
The report said once Cody was in possession of the taser, the FHP trooper opened fire killing Cody.
According to the documents, responding Ocala Police officers viewed hospital surveillance video that had a malfunction the moment Cody was shot.
Police said Cody could be seen on surveillance video grabbing the taser from the officer, “The camera then has a malfunction and the screen goes white,” it next shows Cody shot on the ground, the report says.
That day, a hospital security guard said to officers “technical malfunctions” were a frequent problem with the hospital’s surveillance system.
But Jerry said that detail raises his suspicions about the entire incident. He believes the situation could have been deescalated before his son was shot.
“He should have had the training to have realized how things were escalating,” said Dennis, “I realize they are not trained psychiatrist or psychologist. I understand that. But I feel like they should have enough training to be able to recognize the problem.”
Dennis said Cody was his caretaker, best friend, and only son. He was laid to rest in his home state of Kentucky.
Channel 9 reached out to both FHP and Ocala Police Department about the case.
FHP stated they could not respond since the case was still being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
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