HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — A suspect has died after he had barricaded himself after a shooting that injured at least two people in Brooksville, Florida, on Friday evening.
Update 6 p.m. EST Feb. 18: The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Saturday in a news release said that 64-year-old Steve Roosa died at the scene.
For multiple hours, deputies attempted to negotiate with Roosa and get him to leave the house. According to WFLA, SWAT breached the house. They used chemical agents to get Roosa to exit the residence. He eventually did leave through the front door with a gun in his hand, according to the television station. SWAT members who were in fear for their safety, shot Roosa.
Authorities said that one of the victims with a gunshot wound was treated at an area hospital and has since been released. The other victim is still remains in an area hospital in critical but stable condition.
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said they do not expect any additional updates until early next week.
#BREAKING The Hernando County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the shooter in the Brooksville standoff has died. Read more: https://t.co/sM9KhHIBS1 pic.twitter.com/aTrrKDdbE9
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) February 18, 2023
Original report: Steve Roosa, 64, is in custody after he barricaded himself inside a house in Brooksville, Florida following a shooting that injured two people, according to WFLA.
Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Al Nienhuis, in a news conference Friday around 9:30 p.m. EST, confirmed that the situation has been resolved.
Roosa had appeared to be depressed and was acting odd, Nienhuis said, according to WTSP.
Deputies were called out to the area of Erma and Star roads around 5 p.m. Deputies were called out after a report of shots fired and a building fire in the area, according to WFLA.
Nienhuis said that Roosa has allegedly started a barn fire. According to WFLA, multiple people went up to Roosa to have him investigate the fire which is when he had pulled a gun.
Two people were injured and were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds, according to Hernando County Sheriff’s Office. One victim has a non-life-threatening injury and the other’s condition is unknown.
After the shooting, Roosa barricaded himself inside a house in the area. Nienhuis said that deputies used a drone to look over the house that Roosa barricaded himself in, according to WFLA. They saw him moving inside. It was believed that he had multiple weapons with him.
Nienhuis was also able to confirm that there were no other victims inside the house. Residents in the area were told to stay away or stay inside their houses until they were told to leave.
Anyone with information is asked to call Hernando County Sheriff’s Office at 352-754-6850.
Officials have not yet released information about a possible motive, according to WTSP. Roosa is in custody but it is also unclear if he was shot by deputies.
