Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office vehicles line the 3500 block of South Ocean Boulevard in South Palm Beach on Thursday morning, Sept. 17, 2026, following a deputy-involved shooting. Authorities closed the roadway to investigate the incident. Photos by Tim Stepien
By Emily Rose Finn
A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy on duty in the town of South Palm Beach shot and killed a 32-year-old man following a violent struggle Thursday morning near Town Hall.
“This could have gone very, very bad for this female deputy,” Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference following the incident. “She literally was fighting for her life. She did a good job just making sure that she was going to survive.”
The incident unfolded around 7:35 a.m. on State Road A1A near Town Hall. The man had walked over to the PBSO substation located on Town Hall property, picked up a phone there and told dispatch he needed medical assistance, officials said.
The deputy responded solo to the call and asked the man, who officials identified as Rex Alexander Magann, how she could help. According to Bradshaw, Magann said: “I need a car. I’m taking your car.” When the deputy said that wasn’t going to happen, “He lunged at her to grab her gun,” the sheriff said.
Bradshaw described the assault as “very, very violent.”
"He finally pushes her back, knocks her off her feet. She hits her head on the ground in the back. He's on top of her, they're still wrestling for the gun, he finally starts beating her in the face and in the chest to see if he can knock her unconscious.”
The deputy was able to get control of her gun and shot Magann in the chest, killing him, Bradshaw said. He described Magann as 5’11” and 250 pounds and “very physically superior to the female deputy.”
The deputy was transported to HCA Florida JFK Hospital in Atlantis where she was being treated for facial injuries and was to be evaluated for a possible concussion, the sheriff said. Her injuries were not considered life threatening — and she has since been released, Town Manager Jamie Titcomb said Thursday afternoon.
Her name was not released because of Marsy’s Law that protects victims.
“She saved her own life, without a doubt,” Bradshaw said. “This guy was intent on getting that gun.”
The PBSO did not indicate a motive for the attack, but Bradshaw said Magann “has had a lot of bad contact with law enforcement.” He pleaded guilty in November 2025 to assault on a law enforcement officer and battery on an emergency medical care provider, according to court records.
In the January 2025 assault incident, Manalapan police reported he had intentionally rammed a Police Department car multiple times.
He was on probation when Thursday’s attack took place, the sheriff said.
The sheriff said Magann had been “Baker acted” — involuntarily detained for a mental health evaluation — at least three times in the past three years.
“He’s obviously got some mental issues going on,” Bradshaw said.
Law enforcement's on-scene investigation into the shooting death continued for hours.
Titcomb said law enforcement told him that Magann was a local resident who had been living with his mother in town.
The shooting investigation closed A1A in town for about seven hours, from about 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., Titcomb said. Town officials cancelled all meetings and services at Town Hall for the day.
“We are okay here, but not a call we expect to get on any given day,” Titcomb said in a social media post, where he indicated it was the town’s “on duty PBSO deputy” who responded. The town contracts with PBSO for police services.
“Thank you for your concerns and understanding in this difficult event,” Titcomb wrote.
The deputy has been placed on administrative leave, according to standard agency protocol. The ongoing investigation includes the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office and PBSO's Violent Crimes Division.
Larry Barszewski contributed to this story.
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