'I Don't Think It Would Have Made A Difference', Gov. Ron DeSantis On Appointing Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony Amid New Reports Of Self-Defense Shooting

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - Governor Ron DeSantis has responded to recently uncovered information that Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony shot and killed a man in self-defense when he was 14-years-old and never disclosed it.

"It seems like he was in a very rough neighborhood and he was trying to defend his family. I don't think it would, because it was self-defense, I don't think it would have made a difference but it did not come up in the background check because he had never been charged or had ever had anything show up on the record," said the governor. "It's not like he's my sheriff, I didn't even know the guy."

The sheriff doesn't remember what led to the argument with Hector Rodriguez at his Philadelphia home 27 years ago.

"Hector pulled out a gun and threatened that he had no problem shooting me and my brother. We took off and ran into the house hoping we would be able to get away from him," he said.

Tony said Rodriguez followed them into the house.

"Fortunately for me, I knew where my dad kept his gun and was able to grab it and shoot Hector and stop him from killing me and my brother," Tony said.

Rodriguez's daughter has disputed Tony's claim that the shooting was in self-defense.

Mel Rodriguez, who said she was only five months old when her father was killed, posted on Facebook a news article from the time and said "no weapon was recovered at the scene, witnesses who were there claimed my father was unarmed and while at the hospital, he didn't physically have a weapon on him"

She added that "self-defense would have been okay after the first shot, but you shot him multiple times after that. How is that self-defense if he didn't have a weapon?"

Tony was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis as the top cop of BSO after Sheriff Scott Israel was suspended over his handling of mass shootings – mainly Parkland.

DeSantis said Monday that the sheriff's future in Broward in now a county issue, alluding to the election later this year.

Several people, including Israel, are running to unseat Tony in November.

The sheriff believes his past has been brought up because of politics.