Lake County Sheriff's Office: Suicidal man killed after threatening deputies with rifle

CLERMONT — A call about a suicidal man with a rifle ended with the man’s death Sunday evening when a Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy confronted the man and ended up shooting him.

The sheriff’s office has identified the man as 49-year-old Edward Vought. Deputies got the call at 5 p.m. and responded to 10630 Regans Run. The sheriff's office has not released many details but did say Monday morning that Vought had threatened deputies with a rifle.

It was the sheriff’s office's third deputy-involved shooting this year. Also, just over a month ago, Clermont police shot and killed an 81-year-old man at his home. In all four cases, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is involved in investigating the shootings to see if they were justified.

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Sheriff's deputies had been to Vought's home last month

Deputies were familiar with Vought. On Aug. 1, they were called to his home when he claimed he had been “jumped at a residence a couple houses down by two males…,” according to an arrest affidavit.

When deputies went to that home, however, witnesses said Vought had been hanging out at the home on Kipling Court when he “got upset over something. While the … victim was near his garage, the arrestee (Vought) was near the vehicles on the driveway and took out a knife from behind his back and charged the victim with it and started kicking the victim.”

A man rushed to the victim’s aid. “When this occurred, it caused all parties to go to the ground and the offender (Vought) was struck multiple times in the face,” the affidavit says.

Vought was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

The next day, a woman filed an injunction for protection against domestic violence against Vought.

Those details were not immediately made available through the clerk of court’s website. The petition was denied on Aug. 16 after a hearing before a county judge.

Vought was convicted of domestic battery in 2019, according to the Aug. 1 arrest affidavit.

Other police shootings in Lake County this year

• On Aug. 5, Wallace Sims Wainwright's wife made an emergency call from their home in Emerald Lake Mobile Home Park.

Wainwright opened fire at rescue workers, who had to take cover until Clermont police arrived. He was shot by police.

Wainwright was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. He was charged with attempted felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. He died on Aug. 13.

• In April, a Lake deputy was trying to make a traffic stop in Lady Lake after receiving a call about a stolen credit card at the Walmart in Leesburg.

Cornered at the gated entrance to Water Oaks Estates, the driver of a white Dodge Charger turned back toward the deputy, who had stepped out of his car, and the deputy fired at the moving car.

That led to a chase down U.S. 441/27, ending south of Leesburg. The three suspects jumped out of the vehicle and ran. Two were taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

None were armed, but the driver, Jeffrey Gilbert was charged with aggravated assault with a motor vehicle on a law enforcement officer.  The other two were hit with drug, fraud and theft charges.

• In July, deputies were involved in a high-speed chase down North Donnelly Street in Mount Dora, with the suspect firing a handgun out the window. The chase ended when 18-year-old Jonny Ze Guiseppe Santiago crashed into the side of a synagogue.

He was engaged in a fierce, up-close gun battle before he was wounded, threw down his gun, and crawled out of his pickup truck to surrender.

He was a suspect in the slaying of his father, Juan Santiago, in Deltona.

In Lake County, he was charged with three counts of attempted murder of law enforcement officers, fleeing and eluding, and firing a weapon from a vehicle.

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Florida man killed; Lake sheriff's office says he threatened deputies