HOMOSASSA, Fla. — An investigation is underway after Citrus County Sheriff's Office deputies shot and killed an armed man who they said refused to surrender and pointed his gun at them after he ran away from a domestic battery situation.
At around 9:30 p.m., the sheriff's office said deputies responded to an armed domestic battery call in the area of South Suncoast Boulevard in Homosassa.
Deputies found two people with minor injuries who told them 34-year-old Derek Large was "being violent and was under the influence of drugs and alcohol," the sheriff's office said in a news release. They reported to deputies he physically battered them both and fired multiple rounds from his gun then fled the home before deputies arrived.
The sheriff's office said a K-9 unit was called to respond and was able to locate the man hiding under a mobile home at a closed business.
According to the sheriff's office, when deputies found and confronted the armed man, he refused to cooperate and surrender to deputies and instead pointed his gun at deputies.
"Fearing for their safety and safety of others, deputies on scene deployed lethal force," the sheriff's office said in a release. Multiple shots were fired at Large before he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Deputies were able to recover a semi-automatic pistol from the man.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has launched an investigation into the deputy-involved shooting, per the sheriff's office's protocol.
At this time, three deputies are on paid administrative leave pending the results of FDLE's investigation.