Armed man killed during confrontation with deputies in NE Marion County; FDLE investigates

ORANGE SPRINGS — Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials spent Tuesday morning investigating the shooting death of a man by a Marion County Sheriff's Office deputy or deputies in northeast Marion County.

An FDLE spokeswoman said Tuesday that the sheriff's office asked her agency to review the shooting. The agents were expected to remain at the scene, 24030 NE 140th Ave., for a significant amount of time.

The spokeswoman said the agents will conduct what's called a fact gathering investigation and build a timeline of the events that unfolded Monday night.

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While FDLE looks into the deputy-involved shooting, sheriff's office detectives will investigate the circumstances surrounding the death that brought deputies to the scene in the first place.

How the chain of events started Monday night in NE Marion County

Deputies received a call about 7:40 p.m. Monday concerning shots fired and went to the area. Three deputies arrived and discovered one person, a man, dead in the driveway.

As the deputies were investigating, the sheriff's office said, a second man, armed with a shotgun, approached them. The deputies told the man to put down the weapon, but they said he did not follow the order and instead tried to engage the deputies.

At least one deputy shot the man, who died at the scene, the sheriff's office said.

The deputies were not injured. All three have been placed on paid administrative leave until further notice, which is standard in such cases. No information about the deputies, including their names, was released.

The names of the people killed in the shootings have also not been released by law enforcement officials.

Since 2017, the sheriff's office has had six deputy-involved shootings. Of the six, there were five fatalities.

At the scene

The shooting occurred off a single-lane hard-top dirt road that has no street lights and thick brush and trees on either side.

Hours after the deadly encounter, sheriff's deputies were at the front of the property making sure only authorize personnel crossed the yellow crime scene tape.

FDLE agents, along with the Medical Examiner's Office van, which arrived shortly before 9 a.m., were working roughly half a mile away from the yellow crime scene tape.

The FDLE spokesperson said agents will interview any witnesses, including the deputies, collect evidence, and process the scene before leaving.

At the conclusion of their work on scene, the agents will continue their investigation. Once it's complete, their report will be sent to the State Attorney's Office in Marion County for review. FDLE officials will only provide the facts to prosecutors, who in turn will determine if any criminal charges will be filed.

There's no set timeline on when FDLE will finish its report, as each case is different, the spokeswoman said.

Neighbors did not know the family well

Neighbors driving by on Tuesday said they did not know the family well. They would say hello, goodbye or wave when passing.

One man said four families with children live in the area where the shots were fired. He said some of the people, like himself, have lived in the community for a number of years. Other property in the area is sometimes used by owners to hunt or relax, he said.

A woman who said she called 911 said she heard shooting and what she described as a violent scream, then gunshots.

She said she heard deputies giving someone multiple warnings to get on the ground, don't do it, and put your hands up.

She called the situation sad and said that, once the gunshots rang out Monday night, she locked her doors. She said the people who live where the shots were fired kept to themselves.

Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118, austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Marion deputies shoot, kill armed man during Fort McCoy confrontation