Hernando County Sheriff's deputies opened fire on a man who shot at them from a front porch on Audubon Drive in Brooksville, Sunday afternoon, after responding to a domestic dispute where two relatives had locked themselves inside a bathroom while gunfire erupted inside the home. No deputies were injured in the exchange, and the man was struck by return fire. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has been called in to independently investigate the shooting.
How the Confrontation Unfolded
According to FOX 13 Tampa Bay, deputies responded to the Audubon Drive address at approximately 2:37 p.m. Sunday after two adults locked themselves inside a bathroom while a family member fired shots inside the residence, with the trapped relatives staying on the line with 911 dispatchers as the gunfire continued. When three deputies arrived at the property, they encountered a man on the front porch who fired shots at them. All three deputies returned fire and struck the suspect, the station reported. No law enforcement personnel were injured during the exchange.
FDLE Steps In, Sheriff Briefs the Public
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office announced on Facebook that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was brought in to conduct an independent investigation into the deputy-involved shooting, a standard oversight procedure the agency notes is routinely triggered whenever a deputy uses lethal force. Sheriff Al Nienhuis, who has led the department since his gubernatorial appointment in January 2011 and subsequent election wins in 2012, 2016, and 2020, personally provided the public update on the Audubon Drive incident. The sheriff's office has not released the suspect's medical condition; the suspect was later identified, and formal charges were not pursued because he died.
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office presented a plan in March 2026 for a body-camera rollout.
Second Shooting Involving Deputies in Three Weeks
Sunday's confrontation came just 17 days after a separate, unrelated violent incident in Spring Hill, where two Hernando County Sheriff's deputies were shot and wounded while serving a narcotics search warrant, as Hoodline reported in coverage of that shooting. In that case, suspect Anthony Cusati was arrested after allegedly firing through a door at SWAT officers. Together, the two incidents mark the second time in three weeks that Hernando County deputies have been fired upon while carrying out their duties.
Brooksville itself does not operate its own police force. The city receives its municipal law enforcement services through a contract with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.
