CITRUS COUNTY, FL. – At approximately 5:30 p.m. this afternoon, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies initially responded to a residence off of N. Windbreak Ter. in Dunnellon in reference to a disturbance and verbal altercation.
Upon arrival, deputies met with the complainant. While speaking with the complainant, the suspect returned to the scene in his vehicle.
As deputies approached the suspect, he refused to comply with verbal commands.
“While failing to comply with verbal commands, the suspect retrieved a weapon, leaving the deputies with no choice but to deploy deadly force to stop the threat,” said CCSO in a statement.
The suspect, later identified as 46-year-old Bryan Thomas Otto of Dunnellon, was pronounced deceased on the scene.
“Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies are trained to respond appropriately to any threat they come in contact with,” said Sheriff Prendergast. “We are thankful for their courageous efforts in keeping our community safe.”
As with any of our deputy-involved shootings, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is on scene and investigating this case. Following agency policy, the deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave with pay, pending the outcome of the preliminary FDLE investigation.
We will update this story as more details are released.
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