Originally posted at 10:29 p.m. Sunday, March 19, 2017.

An armed man was shot and killed Sunday after refusing to drop his gun, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said.

  • Man began shooting at wife's office in DeLand
  • He led deputies, officers on a high-speed chase
  • Law enforcement fired shots after he refused to drop gun

At 5:06 p.m., deputies received a call about a man who was at his wife's law office "shooting up the place," the release stated. The man has been identified as 45-year-old Mario Simoes, of DeLand.

The caller told deputies Simoes had been drinking and was upset about the couple's marital issues.

When deputies and DeLand Police officers arrived at the office located at 919 Biscayne Blvd., Simoes fled the scene in his Mercedes-Benz.

He led law enforcement on a high-speed chase, with speed topping 100 mph, deputies said.

Stop sticks were used on Old Daytona Road to disable the man's vehicle. After hitting the stop sticks, the man crashed into a Ford pickup driven by a couple who were leaving a nearby Lowe's.

Law enforcement officials approached Simoes' vehicle, and it appeared he was reloading a gun, a release states.

Deputies said they repeatedly told the man to drop the gun, but he refused and "made a move."

Two deputies and one officer fired shots. Simoes was pronounced dead at the scene.

"We have three independent witnesses who say it felt like two minutes, they just kept hearing deputies and DeLand Police officers saying, 'Drop the gun, drop the gun, drop the gun,' before he was fatally shot," Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said during a news conference.

Andrew Gant, a public information officer for the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, said a preliminary investigation indicates deputies and police called for Simoes to drop the gun and/or show his hands in excess of 30 times during a span of about two minutes leading up to the moments authorities fired shots.

The husband and wife in the truck were able to walk away from the crash, deputies said. They were taken to a hospital to be checked.

The Volusia County deputies who fired shots have been identified as Deputy Brant Lickiss, 26, who was hired July 7, 2014. The other deputy is Sgt. Mike Chilcot, 49, who was hired Oct. 18, 1993.

The DeLand Police officer has been identified as Officer Jason Floryance, 37, who was hired on Aug. 29, 2005.

All three have been placed on paid administrative leave.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.