A Hillsborough County deputy shot and fatally injured a man who refused to put a gun down early Tuesday morning in Tampa, the sheriff's office said.
The shooting happened outside a home in the 1000 block of Turner Drive in the Palm River area. No deputies were injured.
The sheriff's office identified the dead man as 66-year-old George Louis Garrett, the homeowner.
Authorities said deputies responded to a home at 3:21 a.m. on a call about a person with a gun threatening to harm himself. Officials said there were other people in the home.
Deputies said when they arrived, Garrett came out of the home still holding the gun and refused to put it down. Deputies said they repeatedly attempted to get Garrett to put down the gun.
The sheriff's office said out of fear for his own life, Corporal Duane Benton, 44, fired two rounds from his .40-caliber service weapon, striking Garrett once in the upper body.
"The subject (Garrett) exited the residence with his firearm and refused to obey the deputy's commands," Col. Donna Lusczynski said. "That forced the deputy to use deadly force. Right now, it is too early to tell (the circumstances). Deputies are conducting interviews."
Garrett was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he later died.
Detectives recovered a loaded .380 semi-automatic handgun on the front driveway where Garrett was shot, investigators said.
The incident is under investigation.
Benton is on routine paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation and a ruling by the Office of the Hillsborough County State's Attorney.
This is not the first time Benton, a 16-year veteran of the sheriff's office, has been involved in a fatal shooting. In 2002, Benton shot and killed a woman at a Riverview home after she threatened suicide and fired several shots at deputies.