Officials say a U.S. Marshals Task Force confronted the 38-year-old outside a northwest Gainesville home after a bomb threat to a Tallahassee synagogue the day before.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A man sought on a state arrest warrant for threats to a Tallahassee synagogue was shot and killed Thursday afternoon as deputies and U.S. Marshals moved to take him into custody in northwest Gainesville, according to authorities.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials said the shooting happened shortly after 3 p.m. on Nov. 6 as members of a U.S. Marshals Task Force served an FDLE warrant. The suspect, identified as Ali Ihsan Bayhan, 38, of Gainesville, had been linked to a bomb threat reported at Temple Israel in Tallahassee a day earlier. Tallahassee police said no explosives were found after a search. FDLE opened a criminal case into the threats and is now leading the use-of-force investigation, which remained active into the weekend.
Deputies with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said they were assisting Marshals near Northwest 16th Boulevard and Northwest 35th Way when Bayhan came out of a residence. Investigators said he appeared to record them on a phone, had a handgun visible in his waistband, and ignored commands. “He reached for the gun,” an ACSO account stated, and several members of the warrant team fired. Medics were called and deputies began aid, but Bayhan was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured. A neighbor who lives down the street described the block as usually quiet and said he had not seen prior disturbances at the home.
In an update Friday, the sheriff’s office said six Alachua County deputies and two U.S. Marshals discharged their weapons during the confrontation. The agency said a K-9 was deployed moments before the gunfire as investigators tried to take Bayhan into custody outside. ACSO said Bayhan had displayed the firearm while still on the property and moved his hands toward the weapon as officers closed in. FDLE said the fatal encounter occurred while the team carried out the synagogue-threat warrant. Tallahassee police said the Wednesday bomb threat at Temple Israel prompted an evacuation and a sweep that ended with an all-clear and no device recovered.
Records released by the sheriff’s office indicate deputies first became aware of Bayhan late Wednesday when a judge granted an ex parte order under Florida’s Baker Act for an involuntary mental health evaluation based on statements from relatives. Supervisors decided to attempt the pickup during daylight Thursday given concerns that he might be armed and the layout of the residence. Separately, investigators learned that FDLE had obtained a felony arrest warrant tied to the Tallahassee threat and to statements targeting elected officials, including the governor, according to the sheriff’s office. The agencies coordinated surveillance at the home until the afternoon contact.
FDLE said both the threats case and the shooting review are ongoing. Standard procedure places involved deputies on paid administrative leave while state agents collect interviews, body-worn camera footage if available, and physical evidence. The medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. FDLE typically forwards its investigative findings to the State Attorney’s Office for review once complete. Neither FDLE nor ACSO released the number of rounds fired, and the names of the deputies and Marshals were not immediately provided.
Temple Israel leaders told congregants the threat was handled under the synagogue’s emergency procedures and services resumed after the all-clear. Community groups in Tallahassee and Gainesville issued statements condemning threats toward religious spaces and expressing relief that no explosives were found. A resident near the Gainesville scene said he watched unmarked vehicles arrive and heard officers order a man to come out before the shouting intensified. “It all happened fast,” he said, adding that traffic on the block was shut for hours while crime scene tape sealed the corner.
As of Tuesday morning, FDLE had not announced a timetable for releasing further details from interviews or any video. The sheriff’s office said its internal administrative review will run parallel to the state inquiry. The next formal update is expected after FDLE completes initial witness interviews and evidence processing. Autopsy results are pending. Deputies who fired remain on leave while the case proceeds.
Author note: Last updated November 11, 2025.