“Susan Teel wanted to die that night. Her family tried desperately to stop her. Ultimately, she was successful in committing suicide by cop.”
Laurence Reisman, larry.reisman@tcpalm.com
In 1994, an Indian River County sheriff's deputy thought he saw drugs thrown out of a suspect’s car in Gifford. A chase ensued. The driver of a fleeing vehicle ran a red light on U.S. 1, ramming the side of an eastbound vehicle, killing a woman and three children.
Given the carnage, this news organization questioned Sheriff Gary Wheeler's claim the chase had been broken off and the suspect’s vehicle was going only 70 mph. One of our reporters measured the skid marks. A retired traffic homicide investigator told him the fleeing car was traveling at more than 100 mph.
Last week, attorney Guy Rubin questioned Sheriff Deryl Loar’s defense of a deputy who shot to death Susan Teel, a doctor’s wife, in her home July 26. Deputy Jonathan Lozada arrived at the home after a 911 call saying Teel, 62, was trying to kill herself with a knife.
Lozada, a five-year deputy, fired after Teel lunged at him with a knife, Loar said.
"Let me be clear," Rubin said last week at a news conference. "Susan Teel wanted to die that night. Her family tried desperately to stop her. Ultimately, she was successful in committing suicide by cop."