Authorities say the 65-year-old suspect was arrested after negotiations and charged in his wife’s fatal shooting earlier Sunday.
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL — A 65-year-old man accused in the fatal shooting of his wife was taken into custody Sunday night after an armed standoff with law enforcement in Volusia County, authorities said.
John Schmalz-Riedt was arrested after investigators with the Altamonte Springs Police Department identified him as a person of interest in a shooting that left an adult woman dead earlier Sunday. Police later developed probable cause to arrest him on charges of second-degree murder with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to authorities.
The investigation began at about 3:15 p.m. Aug. 23, when Altamonte Springs officers responded to a residence on Conrad Court and found an unresponsive woman who had suffered a gunshot wound. Seminole County firefighters also responded and provided emergency medical aid, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities identified the woman as Schmalz-Riedt’s wife but had not publicly released her name in the reports reviewed Sunday night.
As detectives investigated the shooting, Altamonte Springs police coordinated with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office to locate Schmalz-Riedt. Deputies eventually found him near Howland Boulevard and State Road 415 in Volusia County, officials said.
Authorities said Schmalz-Riedt was armed and barricaded himself inside a vehicle. The situation prompted a response from the sheriff’s office SWAT team and led authorities to block roads in the area while negotiations continued. The standoff began around 7 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office.
Negotiators communicated with Schmalz-Riedt for about three hours before SWAT officers took him into custody, authorities said. No injuries were reported during the standoff. Officials did not immediately release additional details about how the negotiations ended or whether a firearm was recovered from the vehicle.
The arrest came several hours after the shooting in Altamonte Springs, which is in neighboring Seminole County. Investigators have not publicly described what led to the shooting or released further details about the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death. Authorities also had not announced a suspected motive as of late Sunday.
Police initially described Schmalz-Riedt as a person of interest while detectives gathered evidence. Investigators later said they developed probable cause connecting him to the woman’s death. The charges against him are allegations, and the case has not been adjudicated in court.
Schmalz-Riedt was transported to the Volusia County Jail for processing and was being held without bond, according to reporting based on information from authorities. The Altamonte Springs Police Department is continuing the homicide investigation, and additional information about the evidence in the case had not been released.
Author note: Last updated August 23, 2026.