A man is dead after Citrus County deputies opened fire on him near East Seneca Street in Inverness on Sunday evening, following a chilling phone call to emergency dispatch in which he warned deputies had just 10 minutes to respond before he started shooting people.
According to FOX 13 Tampa Bay, the call came in around 5 p.m. Sunday, prompting an urgent deputy response to the home. When deputies arrived, they encountered a man emerging from nearby woods wearing a gas mask and carrying a backpack. The outlet reports he refused multiple commands and presented what deputies perceived as a threat, at which point they opened fire.
The man received medical care at the scene before being rushed to Citrus Memorial Hospital, roughly 3.5 miles away, where he was pronounced dead, the station's report states. Sheriff David Vincent confirmed no deputies were hurt during the encounter, per the same account. Authorities have not released the man's identity.
In a video update posted Sunday night, Sheriff Vincent said deputies involved in the shooting will be placed on paid administrative leave, a standard step while the incident is reviewed, according to the Citrus County Sheriff's Office. Per agency policy, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will take over the investigation, with CCSO asking the public to monitor its social media accounts for further updates.
FDLE Holds the Keys to What Happens Next
FDLE may investigate local officer-involved shootings at a local agency's request, but it does not automatically assume primary investigative control. When it conducts an investigation, it frequently submits its factual findings to the State Attorney's Office for review.
Several facts central to understanding the encounter remain unresolved. It's still unclear whether the man was carrying a firearm or any other weapon in his backpack or hands, and whether body-worn camera footage captured the shooting.
A Sheriff Who Campaigned on Transparency
Vincent took office as the 13th Sheriff of Citrus County in January 2025 after winning the August 2024 primary with 63 percent of the vote over two-term incumbent Mike Prendergast, according to Florida Politics. He had previously served 27 years with CCSO and worked as police chief for the Citrus County School District before his election.
One of his signature early moves was equipping all 115 patrol deputies with body-worn cameras in June 2025, the first time in agency history patrol deputies carried the devices, per the Florida Sheriffs Association. Before that rollout, CCSO patrol deputies operated without body-worn or dashboard cameras at all.
Part of a Wider Regional Pattern
The Inverness shooting adds to a cluster of officer-involved shootings across the Nature Coast in recent weeks, including three fatal deputy shootings in neighboring Hernando County between late September and early October. CCSO handles calls for service across the county, and Vincent has previously touted declines in serious traffic injuries, from 127 in 2024 to 93 in 2025 and 44 in the first half of 2026, as evidence of targeted enforcement efforts working.
For now, the man's identity, the contents of his backpack, and the existence of body-camera footage remain open questions awaiting FDLE's investigation. CCSO has asked residents to watch its social media accounts for further updates as the state review proceeds.
