Citrus County deputies on Sunday shot and killed a man who was wearing a gas mask after he "refused to comply" and deputies "perceived a threat," the sheriff said.
Sheriff Vincent David said the incident occurred after a man called 911 around 5 p.m. and threatened to start shooting people in a residence on East Seneca Street in Iverness if law enforcement did not respond to the area within 10 minutes.
When deputies arrived, they first tried to make contact with anyone in the home. A few minutes later, a man wearing a gas mask and carrying a backpack approached deputies from a nearby wooded area, the sheriff said.
The sheriff said the man "refused to comply" with multiple commands. At one point during the interaction, the deputies "perceived a threat" and began shooting, the sheriff said.
The sheriff did not specify what the threat was.
The man was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will take over the officer-involved shooting investigation. All of the involved deputies were placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation, the sheriff said.
No deputies were injured, the sheriff said.
No further information about the man who was shot or what led up to the incident was immediately provided.
This is a developing story that may be updated.
