A man who deputies say threatened a child earlier in the day opened fire on a Hernando County deputy Saturday evening along U.S. 19 near Applegate Drive in Spring Hill, setting off a shootout that left him wounded and sent a stray bullet crashing through a car window at a nearby Arby’s. No deputies were hurt in the exchange, and officials say there is no ongoing threat to the public.
According to wfla.com, deputies received a report around 2:30 p.m. that a suspect had threatened a child under the age of 10. Investigators described the man as a registered sex offender and convicted felon who had previously been violent toward law enforcement officers, the station reported. By the time deputies caught up with him that evening, the case had already escalated well beyond the initial threat.
Hours later, a deputy located the suspect’s vehicle near Hunters Lake Road just before 8 p.m., per the same account. That discovery triggered the confrontation: the suspect allegedly began shooting toward the deputy who found him, then fired again as additional deputies approached from U.S. 19. Two deputies returned fire and struck the suspect several times, the station reported, citing investigators.
Stray Round Hits Parked Car at Arby’s
The shootout unfolded along a stretch of U.S. 19 just south of Applegate Drive in Spring Hill, according to Fox 13 News, which reported that deputies first responded to the domestic-related call around 2:30 p.m. Saturday. No deputies were injured, and officials confirmed there was no ongoing threat to the public, the station said.
Not everyone nearby walked away unscathed in terms of property. A stray round from the suspect’s gunfire broke the window of a car parked at an Arby’s across Commercial Way, according to the Hernando Sun. No one was struck by the suspect’s rounds, the outlet reported.
Accounts differ on what happened to the suspect after he was shot. Fox 13 News reported that the suspect sustained gunshot wounds but that his condition had not been released. The Tampa Free Press, however, reported that the suspect sustained gunshot wounds and received medical treatment, according to tampafp.com.
FDLE Investigating, Deputies on Leave
Investigators developed probable cause that the suspect committed domestic assault and domestic battery, wfla.com reported, citing the sheriff’s office. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating the shooting, the Hernando Sun reported, and the two deputies who fired their weapons have been placed on paid administrative leave while that review continues.
Sheriff Al Nienhuis addressed the shooting in a video update posted to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, confirming that the deputy-involved shooting occurred on U.S. 19 south of Applegate Drive in Spring Hill.
Second Hernando County Shooting in a Week
Saturday’s shooting marks the second deputy-involved shooting in Hernando County in roughly a week. Just days earlier, deputies responding to a domestic violence call near Brooksville fatally shot Ryan Fontes, 41, after he allegedly fired rounds at his family, according to the Hernando Sun. In that earlier case, three deputies who fired their weapons were placed on administrative leave pending internal affairs and preliminary FDLE investigations, Fox 13 News reported.
Both incidents began with reports of domestic or family-related violence that escalated into gunfire directed at responding deputies before they returned fire, according to Fox 13 News’ reporting on the Brooksville case. The pattern has put a spotlight on how Hernando County deputies are handling volatile domestic calls as outside investigators continue reviewing both shootings.
