Lee Burnett, of Bassfield Park, is hospitalized this morning after being shot by Lake County deputies.
Around 1 a.m., a neighbor called deputies to report a suicidal man at a home on Ocklawaha Drive in the city’s Bassville Park area.
Three veteran deputies responded and were confronted outside the home by Burnett.
"Once they found him out in front of the house, they tried talking to him, telling them they were here to help," said Sgt. James Vachon from the Lake County Sheriff's Office. "At some point, he pointed a firearm at them and they were forced to discharge their sidearm."
The Sheriff's Office has confirmed the firearm Burnett raised was a shotgun.
Deputies said the Burnett was awake and alert when paramedics loaded him into the helicopter.
He was flown to Ocala Regional Medical Center where he is in stable condition after being shot in the abdomen, according to the Burnett's son.
No deputies were injured in the shooting.
The deputies were placed on paid leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates, which is standard procedure.
Burnett's son said the family is praying and asking for privacy during this difficult time.
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