2 dead, including suspect, following shooting and standoff at Clermont apartment complex: Police | FOX 51 Gainesville
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2 dead, including suspect, following shooting and standoff at Clermont apartment complex: Police

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Published  February 5, 2025 11:06pm EST
Lake County
FOX 35 Orlando

2 dead, including suspect, following shooting and standoff

The Clermont Police Department said a man, identified as a suspect in a deadly shooting, is dead following a standoff at an apartment complex.

The Brief

    • At approximately 3:42 p.m., Clermont police officers were dispatched to the Cottonwood Clermont Apartments after a passerby reported seeing a woman running from a man and screaming.
    • During a welfare check at the apartment, officers found a woman with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. She died at the scene.
    • While assessing the scene and providing aid, officers were met with gunfire from inside the apartment.
    • The suspect, who retreated further into the apartment, was barricaded inside and later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Clermont Police Department said a man, identified as a suspect in a deadly shooting, is dead following a standoff at an apartment complex.

Suspect dead from self-inflicted wound: Police

What we know:

Around 3:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to the Cottonwood Clermont Apartments off of Oakley Seaver Drive after a passerby reported seeing a woman running and screaming from a man.

Upon arrival, officers were unable to locate a victim but discovered what appeared to be blood near an apartment door.

Suspect barricaded inside Clermont apartment

The Clermont Police Department said they responded to a call about a shooting at an apartment complex. However, they said they were met with gunfire.

During a welfare check at the apartment, officers found a woman with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. While assessing the scene and providing aid, officers said they were met with gunfire from inside the apartment. 

They returned fire before retreating to a safe position, police said. The suspect, who retreated further into the apartment, barricaded himself inside for several hours.

Officers believe the suspect and the victim were the only individuals in the apartment at the time of the incident, and no additional victims were involved.

The apartment complex was secured, nearby units were evacuated, and a shelter-in-place order was issued for residents. An exclusive video provided to FOX 35 News by a witness showed what appeared to be a robot controlled by a SWAT team.

The SWAT team eventually entered the apartment after officers were unable to make contact with the suspect, described as a man in his 20s. Once inside, they found the suspect dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound and a handgun was recovered. 

The woman also died from her injuries.

2 dead, including suspect, following Clermont standoff

The Clermont Police Department said a man, identified as a suspect in a deadly shooting, is dead following a standoff at an apartment complex.

What we don't know:

Investigators still do not know the circumstances which led to the shooting of the woman. The identities of both the man and woman were not immediately released. Detectives said the two lived together and may have been romantically involved, but this is not confirmed. 

 When asked if the suspect may have been struck by bullets fired by police officers, Clermont Police Capt. Malcolm Draper said it was unclear. 

What they're saying:

Neighbors were stuck inside their apartment units for hours as no resident was allowed in or out of the complex. One man told us his wife heard some commotion earlier in the afternoon.

"She heard a couple shots, 1:56 p.m., and somebody screaming, a lady screaming, but we don't know exactly," said Eliseo Hernandez, who lives nearby.

Clermont Police Capt. Malcolm Draper said when officers first arrived at the scene, they searched and discovered a woman who was seriously injured.

"The adult female appeared to have a mortal gunshot wound," he said during an evening news conference.

Capt. Draper thanked multiple agencies which assisted, including the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Groveland Police Department, Clermont Fire EMS, and the Mid-Florida SWAT Team which includes officers from police departments in Leesburg, Eustis, and Mount Dora. 

"Once we gathered enough information, our Mid-Florida SWAT Team made entry and discovered the adult male suspect with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, deceased," he explained.

Capt. Draper also thanked the person who reported the incident. 

"We also want to commend the individual who gave us a call initially — see something, say something — that individual gave us a call, they stayed there for the officer respond and gather pertinent information," he added. 

He expressed gratitude that no officers were injured and praised them for their quick response.

"They put themselves in harm's way every day, and unfortunately we were not able to save the lives of these individuals," the captain said. "Also to note, our officers quickly evacuated all the adjacent apartments, to make the scene safe. We did that very, very quickly and very, very safely."

When asked if there had been any previous calls to the apartment where the couple lived, he replied, "We had one prior call for service, roughly in October'ish. We got a call for a subject acting erratically. Officers responded, attempted to make contact and were unable to make contact with anyone — that came in as an anonymous tip."

What's next:

Because there was an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and Clermont police officers, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate.

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The Source: The information in this article comes from the Clermont Police Department.

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