Deputies in Lake County said a man trying to stop a dog attack instead shot the dog’s owner, who later died at a hospital.
LEESBURG, Fla. — A man died and a woman was hospitalized with dog bites Friday after a chaotic encounter near a homeless camp in central Florida, where deputies said another man tried to shoot an attacking dog but hit the dog’s owner instead.
The shooting set off a homicide investigation and a search for a 43-year-old man identified by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office as Matthew Lee Pasco. Deputies said Pasco fled on foot after the gunfire in the area of Griffin Road and Tally Box Road, not far from Carver Middle School, which was placed on lockdown as officers searched nearby woods and roads.
Investigators said the episode began Friday morning when a woman was being attacked by a large dog near a homeless encampment in the Leesburg area. Witnesses told deputies that Pasco stepped in and tried to shoot the animal to stop the attack. Instead, according to the sheriff’s office, the bullet struck the dog’s owner when he moved between Pasco and the woman. Deputy Stephanie Earley, a spokesperson for the agency, said the owner was rushed from the scene to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The woman was taken to a hospital with several dog bites. Her name, like the dead man’s, had not been released Friday as deputies worked to notify relatives and sort out the sequence of events.
The sheriff’s office described Pasco as a person of interest and said he remained out of custody Friday afternoon. Deputies said he is believed to be armed with a handgun and ran from the area on foot after the shooting. He was described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall and about 150 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes and a prominent scar on the right side of his face. Authorities said he was last seen wearing a navy blue T-shirt. FOX 35 and WESH, citing sheriff’s office briefings, reported the search centered on the area around Griffin Road, with patrol units and aircraft covering ground near the camp and nearby school. Deputies had not said by Friday afternoon whether Pasco and the victims knew one another, whether he had permission to carry the gun, or whether investigators believed the shot was reckless, accidental or criminally intentional.
The scene underscored how quickly a volatile animal attack can turn into a wider public safety emergency. Deputies said animal services also responded after the shooting, and local television reports said more than one dog was taken into custody. WESH reported that two dogs were shot and one was killed, though investigators had not publicly laid out in detail which shots struck the animals, who fired each round, or whether the dog involved in the attack survived. Those unanswered questions were part of why the case was being treated as an active homicide investigation rather than a closed accidental shooting. The area where the violence unfolded, near a wooded encampment and across from a middle school, added urgency for law enforcement trying to lock down the scene, protect nearby students and track an armed man before he could disappear farther into the community.
Carver Middle School was placed on lockdown as a precaution while deputies searched the area, according to school and sheriff’s officials. That step reflected the practical problem facing authorities after the shooting: they were not only investigating a death and a serious dog attack, but also trying to find a man they said might still be carrying a handgun near homes, traffic routes and a school campus. Deputies set up a perimeter and circulated Pasco’s name and photo to the public. By late Friday, authorities still had not announced an arrest, and no criminal charge had been publicly filed in court records tied to the shooting. The sheriff’s office did not release the caliber of the weapon, the number of shots fired by Pasco, or whether any witness video existed. Officials also had not said whether forensic testing, including ballistics work and autopsy findings, would be needed before prosecutors decide what charges, if any, should follow.
Residents and parents in the area were left with a jarring picture of a morning that began with a dog attack and ended with helicopters, patrol cars and school security measures. Television footage from overhead showed a broad law enforcement presence around the roadways and wooded edges near the camp. Earley said deputies were piecing together what happened from witness statements and physical evidence. In the first public account from authorities, the central detail remained the same: Pasco appeared to be trying to stop the dog from hurting the woman, but the dog’s owner stepped in and was shot. Even with that outline, major parts of the story were still unsettled Friday, including what prompted the owner to move toward the gunfire, whether anyone shouted warnings, and how long the dog attack had been going on before Pasco intervened. Those details are likely to shape how investigators and prosecutors frame the case.
As of Friday evening, deputies were still searching for Pasco, the woman remained under treatment for dog bites, and the dead man’s identity had not been publicly released. The next major milestone is Pasco’s capture or surrender, which would allow investigators to question him directly and determine whether charges will be filed.
Author note: Last updated April 17, 2026.