A stretch of West Highway 40 in Dunnellon shut down late Tuesday after a shooting involving a Levy County Sheriff's deputy. Authorities reported that a driver fled a traffic stop, led deputies into Marion County, ran into woods and pointed a gun at the deputy, while officials still have not said whether anyone was hurt. The closure hit the 23,200 block of West Highway 40, forcing drivers onto alternate routes while investigators processed the scene.
According to FOX 35 Orlando, the account is based on information shared jointly by the Levy County Sheriff's Office and the Marion County Sheriff's Office. The outlet reported that the driver fled a traffic stop, led deputies into Marion County, ran into woods and pointed a gun at the deputy, while authorities had not released details about whether anyone was injured. As of Wednesday's early reporting, key facts remain unresolved, including the identity of the person shot and whether any injuries were life-threatening, according to a review of available reporting on the incident.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the deputy-involved shooting alongside the Levy County Sheriff's Office, as reported by ClickOrlando, which said deputies closed the roadway while crime scene investigators worked the area. Drivers were urged to avoid the area and use alternate routes until the roadway reopens, per the same reporting.
Why FDLE Is Investigating
FDLE is investigating the deputy-involved shooting.
The Levy County Sheriff's Office is also involved in the investigation. Dunnellon itself sits at a tri-county junction where Marion, Levy, and Citrus counties converge.
That overlapping geography places multiple sheriff's offices near the same area, though the reporting does not detail the legal basis for their joint operations. West Highway 40 was closed while investigators worked the scene, and drivers were urged to use alternate routes.
A Pattern of High-Risk Incidents Around Dunnellon
Tuesday's shooting is not the first violent or high-stakes law enforcement encounter in the area. In May, a Marion County Sheriff's deputy was ambushed and stabbed multiple times during a call in Dunnellon before backup deputies arrived and took the suspect into custody, according to CBS News, which noted that body camera footage of the assault was later released publicly. Hoodline covered that attack in a May report on the stabbing.
In September 2023, deputies shot and injured a suspect on U.S. 41 north of Dunnellon, according to the Ocala Gazette. And in August, a 30-year-old Dunnellon resident was sentenced to five years in Florida prison after a jury convicted him of aggravated assault for firing shots at utility linemen working near his property line, a case Hoodline detailed in its report on the power crew shooting sentence. Investigators in that case determined the workers had been on public property despite the defendant's claim that he fired warning shots at trespassers.
The tri-county border has also fueled cross-jurisdictional property crime. In August, Citrus County Sheriff's investigators tracked heavy equipment stolen from a Dunnellon residence directly across county lines into Levy County on the day it disappeared, a case Hoodline reported in its story on the stolen trailer investigation. The report described the cross-county movement as complicating the investigation.
No further details have been released about Tuesday's shooting, including whether the person shot survived. FDLE and the Levy County Sheriff's Office have not indicated when the roadway will reopen or when additional information will be made public.
