After a deadly deputy-involved shooting earlier this year sparked controversy in Leesburg, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has provided more information to justify the incident.

The incident was originally reported in April, when a 911 caller reported that someone had been stabbed several times, including in the neck, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said they responded to the scene and were directed by bystanders to where the stabbing suspect — identified as Timotheus Reed — had run off to.

A deputy soon found Reed and shot him during the encounter, deputies added. Reed was later taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators also noted that a knife was recovered nearby where the deputy encountered Reed.

WHAT’S THE CONTROVERSY ABOUT?

While the LCSO later released body-camera footage of the incident, it turned out that the majority of body-camera video and audio was redacted, making it initially unclear exactly what happened.

Many details about the encounter weren’t originally released, either, and the involved deputy never turned on the blue lights in their vehicle when he pulled up a short distance from the scene, the agency noted.

Turning on the blue lights would have activated that deputy’s body camera.

[WATCH: Lake County deputy’s bodycam was not on when stabbing suspect was shot, LCSO says]

“He simply pulled up to the scene and was quickly pointed in the direction where Mr. Reed had gone,” Capt. John Herrell said in a statement following the incident.

Because of the lack of available footage, protestors soon spoke out against the sheriff’s office, and a vigil was even held in Reed’s memory.

A JUSTIFIED SHOOTING?

This week, the FDLE has released more details about the investigation into the shooting, ultimately concluding that the deputy’s use of force against Reed was reasonable and lawful.

According to the FDLE report, the responding deputy had issued several verbal commands to Reed, including, “Let me see your hands,” and “What are you doing?”

Meanwhile, Reed looked at the deputy and said, “Man, (expletive) that,” before turning away and heading toward the woods, the report notes.

At the time, Reed had “something black” in his left hand a backpack on, and even when the deputy told him to drop what he had and put his hands up, he instead reached into his pocket and began “digging for something” while talking to himself, investigators explained.

[RELATED: Vigil held for Leesburg stabbing suspect amid calls for justice]

Reed then turned toward the deputy “aggressively,” which caused the deputy to fear for his life and fire two rounds, striking Reed once in the left abdomen, the report continues. Investigators also said that Reed was within roughly 10 feet of the deputy.

“Within minutes, other deputies and officers arrived on scene to assist in the investigation,” the report reads. “When the other law enforcement officers arrived on scene, they were able to quickly locate the deputy and Reed. A search of Reed’s belongings revealed a broken glass pipe with black burn marks.”

Furthermore, FDLE officials said that Reed had cocaine, methamphetamine, and cannabinoids in his system when he died. Reed’s DNA was also on the handle of the knife found nearby.

OTHER DETAILS OF THE CASE

The FDLE also reported that despite the 911 call, the stabbing victim “only had a small superficial scratch on his cheek” and was incoherent during the ordeal, appearing to be intoxicated.

Both the victim and another bystander — the only two witnesses to the incident — gave several inconsistent and conflicting statements to investigators, so they were determined not to be credible witnesses, the FDLE added.

For example, both witnesses “were adamant that the deputy was White,” which was “wholly inaccurate,” the report states.

“Additionally, (the bystander) admitted that she had not been truthful with law enforcement in her prior statements,” the report says.

A review of the deputy’s personnel file by law enforcement indicated that he has no other disciplinary actions involving the use of force, and Reed had “voluminous encounters with law enforcement” in years prior, investigators explained.

According to the FDLE, Reed had nine felony and 14 misdemeanor convictions, including resisting a law enforcement officer and giving a false name to a law enforcement officer.

“These convictions establish that Reed had a history of not complying with lawful commands of law enforcement officers and that his failure to do so in this situation was not an isolated incident,” the report continues.

Given the details of the investigation, state officials argued that the deputy had reasonable concern that Reed was armed and dangerous.