Deputy Sheriff Brian Robert Litz

Brian Robert Litz

Deputy Brian Litz was shot and killed at approximately 1:00 p.m. while making a routine well-being check on an elderly man who lived alone in a retirement community on 104th Place in Oscala.

The man's son had called the Sheriff's Office, asking the department to check on his father, who was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. He advised that his father had a gun and stated that he had not heard from his father in two days. When Deputy Litz approached the house to check on the 74-year-old man, the man refused to respond.

One of the deputies took cover behind a post while Deputy Litz approached the front of the house in a defensive position in an attempt to get a better visual on the male. He was crouched below a row of windows when the male opened fire from above, fatally wounding him. The other deputies on the scene returned fire, killing the male.

Deputy Litz had served with the Marion County Sheriff's Office for 9 years and was a member of the K9 unit. He is survived by his wife and 5-year-old son.