He called 911, said he had a weapon and would kill everyone in a home. It was not his address, and what he pointed at deputies was a radio.
Sunday, October 4, 2026 · Inverness, Florida, area of East Seneca Street · Citrus County Sheriff’s Office
The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office released this body camera footage and the 911 recording on Monday, October 5.
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According to the Sheriff’s Office, the caller told 911 he had a weapon and would kill everyone in the home unless law enforcement showed up within ten minutes. The call disconnected.
Two deputies arrived in the area of East Seneca Street. The Sheriff’s Office says the man walked out from the wood line across the street wearing a gas mask, with his hands inside a black backpack. Deputies told him to show his hands. Instead, he pulled a black object from the backpack, pointed it at them and, in the Sheriff’s Office’s words, “assumed a stance consistent with firing a weapon directly toward deputies.” Deputies shot him multiple times.
The Sheriff’s Office says deputies later learned he was pointing a radio at them. It also says the address was not his residence and that it appears he used it to lure deputies to the area.
He was handcuffed, deputies started lifesaving measures, and he was taken to Citrus Memorial Hospital, where he died. The Sheriff’s Office identified him as Joey Ray Dawson, 24. It has not reported any deputy hurt, and it has not said how many deputies fired.
Case status: The four deputies involved are on paid administrative leave. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating. No ruling has been announced.
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