, Fla. — Lake County deputies have been placed on administrative leave following a deadly shooting in Leesburg on Thursday evening.
Deputies were responding to an armed domestic battery call at a home on Morningside Drive in the Silver Lakes subdivision around 3:00 pm. Investigators said an armed man confronted the deputies, forcing them to use deadly force.
None of the deputies was injured. Investigators haven’t said how many deputies were placed on leave.
“We were shocked,” said Eric Cardona, a neighbor who lives nearby. “We heard six to eight gunshots, and that’s not something you hear all the time.”
Cardona was on a conference call when his wife told him about the shooting. “When we came running to the window, we saw the sheriffs banding together trying to go into the house,” he said. “Then, as they went into the house, there was a little bit more gunshot, and then there was nothing. But then a whole bunch of sheriffs (deputies) and investigators came, so it was pretty intense for a while.”
Joseph Rivera, who lives in the area, said the couple was new to the area.
“You rarely saw those people,” said Rivera. “They were there maybe less than a year. I only recognize them on the road because of the car they drive. It’s kind of crazy for it to happen in such a close-knit neighborhood.”
Investigators have not identified the deceased man. FDLE has taken over the investigation.
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