'Stand Your Ground' hearing underway for Hillsborough man accused of shooting at deputies

Man who shot at deputies claims Stand Your Ground

FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - A Hillsborough County judge listened to arguments on Tuesday in the Stand Your Ground hearing for Harold Lewis, the man accused of shooting at deputies in 2021 and charged with attempted first-degree murder.

What we know:

The confrontation began in April 2021 when deputies arrived at Lewis’ Tampa home to perform a welfare check on his son. Body camera video played in court captured the chaos that unfolded as deputies shouted commands from outside the residence.

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"Sheriff’s Office, come out with your hands up!" one deputy can be heard yelling, just moments before multiple gunshots rang out.

Deputy Brian Noland, who testified on Tuesday, was the first to arrive on scene. While waiting outside Lewis’ home, he said he was suddenly under fire.

"I was sort of in disbelief that I’d just been shot at," Noland told the judge. "My first question was, did he just shoot at me? I know that it was a gunshot. I was questioning whether he shot at me. Did he just shoot himself? Was it a shrapnel that came through the window?"

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Prosecutors said, as backup units responded, Lewis continued firing, with one bullet striking a deputy’s windshield.

Pictured: Harold Lewis during the Stand Your Ground hearing in Hillsborough County. 

Deputy Garry Elser described feeling the impact: "I thought I’d been struck around the face — either by the glass or the concussion of it hitting," he said.

Lewis is charged with attempted first-degree murder of law enforcement. No deputies returned fire during the incident, and Lewis’ son was not injured.

The other side:

Lewis’ attorney, Richard Escobar, argued that his client did not know law enforcement was outside his home and couldn’t hear the verbal commands. He also claimed Lewis may have been "involuntarily intoxicated," with a mix of substances in his system, including pseudoephedrine, impairing his judgment.

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Footage later showed Lewis seemingly confused about his arrest: "Why am I under arrest?" he asked from the back of a patrol car.

Escobar cast doubt on the strength of the state's case, telling the judge, "they don’t have anyone that’s going to be able to tell this court how the shooting happened."

What's next:

The Stand Your Ground hearing will continue for at least one more day. If the judge agrees with the defense’s argument, Lewis could be released immediately. If not, the case will proceed to trial.