WILDWOOD, FL (352today.com) – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is taking over an investigation after a deputy-involved shooting on Monday night in Sumter County.
In a news release, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) states on January 22, at approximately 11:00 p.m., the sheriff’s office received a 911 call in reference to a female who was in distress and having a mental episode at the Rails End Mobile Home Park.
SCSO says the woman initially requested rescue personnel respond to her residence stating, “people were dying over here” and hung up.
Due to the limited information, the sheriff’s office says rescue personnel staged in the area until the scene could be secured by deputies.
“While deputies were talking with the complainant trying to determine if her complaint was real or if she was having a mental episode, the complainant, Janet Sours, pulled a knife from behind her back and lunged at the deputy attempting to stab him,” said SCSO in a Facebook post. “At this point, the deputy took evasive action backing up while simultaneously drawing his service weapon and fired on the woman.”
The sheriff’s office says rescue personnel arrived on the scene and started performing life-saving measures on the woman. They transported her to the Ocala Regional Medical Center where they say she died around 1:00 a.m.
The sheriff’s office says Sours was 81 years old.