Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a residence in the area of West Alamo Drive in Beverly Hills in reference to a shooting.
One individual inside the residence was shot, with another armed and barricaded subject still inside of the home.
Two witnesses to the event had already left the residence and made their way to the safety of the deputies on scene. The shooting victim eventually made his way out of the home and received treatment first by two CCSO deputies on scene, then EMS before transport.
The victim is in stable condition at a local hospital at this time. The armed subject, a 52 year old white male, was confirmed to be the only person still inside of the residence.
Preliminary investigation revealed the suspect rented a room at the residence and just recently returned from Orlando. Upon his return he was acting strange and was making irrational statements. He was confronted by the homeowners and asked to calm down.
The suspect then armed himself with a handgun and began randomly shooting through the door of another individual who was also renting a room from the homeowners. One of the rounds shot through the door struck the victim in his upper right chest.
Within minutes of the shooting, additional deputies along with both the CCSO SWAT team and Crisis Negotiators arrived on scene to protect the nearby residents and safely de-escalate the situation. After hours of negotiations and numerous attempts to get the suspect to comply with commands, the SWAT team deployed less-lethal gas inside the residence in an attempt to persuade the suspect to exit the home and surrender to law enforcement.
The suspect continued making irrational statements, and it appeared the deployed gas did not have the desired effect. Consequently, SWAT team members and Crisis Negotiators continued their attempts to encourage the suspect to come to the door and surrender.
As the stand-off continued, SWAT team members were finally able to observe the suspect and see that he was unarmed. Thus, the SWAT team made entry into the suspect’s bedroom, where he was secured without further incident.
Due to the suspect’s irrational behavior and statements, he was then taken by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment. Approximately four hours later, doctors at the hospital pronounced the suspect deceased.
“During situations such as these, we take every precaution possible for the safety of our community and our citizens,” said Sheriff Prendergast. “We are extremely thankful the occupants inside the home are safe, and we are fortunate this individual did not harm any of his neighbors. No CCSO personnel were injured during this incident.
Successful conflict resolution doesn’t happen in the moment. It begins with the disciplined training by dedicated professionals who prepare for when the moment arrives. This team of professionals seamlessly bring their skills to bear to execute well under pressure to ensure the safest possible outcome for all involved.”
The medical examiner was contacted and will determine the cause of the death. The name of the suspect is still being withheld due to making next of kin notifications. Once updates are available, additional information will be released to the public.