A 79-year-old man was killed Saturday evening after pulling a handgun on Brevard County sheriff’s deputies during a welfare check at a home off of Pine Avenue in Mims, according to Sheriff Wayne Ivey.

The incident unfolded around 7:55 p.m. when deputies responded to reports that the man was threatening to harm himself.

Upon arrival, the primary deputy spoke with the resident and determined that he met the criteria for custody under Florida’s Baker Act, a statute that allows for the involuntary temporary commitment and evaluation of individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.

A second deputy arrived on scene shortly after, and both officers spent over an hour speaking with the man while waiting for an ambulance crew to transport him to a medical facility.

During their interaction, deputies spotted a long gun inside the residence and secured it by moving it out of the man’s reach. However, when the deputies attempted to lift the man from a medical chair to prepare him for transport, he pulled a handgun that had been concealed beneath his leg and pointed it directly at them, Sheriff Ivey said.

Deputies issued verbal commands before opening fire. The man was struck during the gunfire and subsequently transported to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Neither deputy on scene was injured in the encounter. The man’s wife and members of the responding ambulance crew were present at the residence but were in separate rooms at the time of the shooting.

As emergency vehicles rushed to the scene, local residents took to social media to piece together the unfolding situation in real time. Members of local online groups, including Titusville Crime News, reported seeing a massive response from law enforcement and emergency personnel.

Residents noted a heavy police presence moving rapidly across northern Brevard County, with multiple Titusville Police Department (TPD) and Brevard County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) units traveling north on US-1 and along State Road 46. Community members reported hearing near-constant sirens every few minutes and observing law enforcement vehicles heading down Pine Avenue and Holder Road near SR 46.

The situation turned twice as tragic when additional units responded to assist with the shooting investigation.

BCSO Senior Homicide Agent Kevin Morris was traveling northbound on Interstate 95 near Titusville to join the shooting investigation when his vehicle was struck head-on by a wrong-way driver near State Road 46. Both Agent Morris and the driver of the wrong-way vehicle were killed in the crash.

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the deputy-involved shooting in Mims. Authorities have not yet released the identity of the 79-year-old deceased man or the names of the two deputies who discharged their weapons. Sheriff Ivey confirmed that the deputies involved in the initial shooting were not wearing body cameras. The fatal crash on Interstate 95 is being separately investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol.