‘He was like a brother to me:’ Family friend of man killed by Putnam deputies speaks out

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — A family friend of the man shot and killed by Putnam County deputies on Saturday is speaking out.

31-year-old Phillip Allen Baldwin was fatally shot early in the morning after he reportedly threatened people with a 9mm pistol.

The shooting happened on N. 2nd St. in Satsuma, near where his mother lived. It came after an hour-long string of violent encounters with residents who just reported Phillip Baldwin; one incident involved a carjacking.

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However, a close family friend of Baldwin who asked to remain anonymous told Action News Jax he was dealing with mental health issues at the time, and overall, she said he was a kind, harmless man.

“He was such a good guy, he protected me like no other,” she said.

The sheriff’s office said a woman on Shell Harbour Road called and said she was the victim of the carjacking. Shortly after, another call came in about a man threatening others with a gun.

“You could tell he was going through stuff, but he always had his smile on his face. The past couple of weeks, things were going downhill for him,” the family friend said.

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Baldwin has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2012: 13 arrests on various charges including larceny, probation, violations, and battery.

The three deputies who were involved in the shooting are now on administrative leave per sheriff’s office policy. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating if the officers were within their rights to open fire.

This is the department’s first deputy-involved shooting since 2017.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is scheduled to hold a news conference at 1:30 p.m. on Monday.

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