Charlotte County, Florida – On February 20, 2026, a Charlotte County deputy narrowly escaped injury after a wanted homicide suspect attempted to shoot him during an arrest.

Deputies had stopped a rental car after observing a traffic violation. The driver, Amy Lee (DOB 1/21/1985), and her passenger, later identified as Brian Hewson (DOB 8/2/1974), initially refused to exit the vehicle but complied after being warned they would be arrested for obstruction.

A Strategic Targeted Area Response (STAR) unit member ran a history check, revealing Lee’s 2024 felony arrests in Lee County with co-defendant Hewson, who had multiple active warrants.

As deputies attempted to arrest Hewson, he resisted and pulled a concealed firearm, aiming it at the deputy and pulling the trigger. The gun did not fire because it had not been reloaded. The deputy deployed a taser, incapacitating Hewson and allowing deputies to secure the weapon.

Sheriff Bill Prummell stated: “Let me be clear: this individual is lucky to be alive today. While I am thankful it did not result in that, I want to be sure it is understood that my deputies are trained to eliminate a lethal threat with deadly force… Now he will face the justice he has tried to dodge for so long… and I hope he spends the rest of his days behind bars.”

Hewson was arrested for multiple warrants, including homicide in Pennsylvania, failure to appear in Pennsylvania, and trafficking stolen property in Lee County. Additional charges included aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of 1.1 grams of fentanyl, resisting with violence, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held at Charlotte County Jail without bond.

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