Gunman shot by Ocala Police officers outside a Home Depot, gunman died on scene

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - Ocala Police Department officers shot and killed a man near a store on State Road 200 on Saturday morning.

According to the police department, they received a call around 9 a.m. from a woman concerned about suicidal threats a man was making outside the Home Depot Store on State Road 200.

Ocala Police Officials released the identity of the gunman as Robert Gonzalez, 41.

When officers arrived, they approached Gonzalez’s vehicle and spoke with him. They say they tried to de-escalate the situation, but Gonzalez pulled out a handgun and fired.

Officers returned fire, hitting and killing Gonzalez. No officers were hurt.

Some shoppers told TV20 they saw Gonzalez minutes before the shooting.

“He was arguing on the phone, looked like he was just having a rough day,” said shopper Vern Black. “We walk by you know, just kind of thought about the rough situation he was going through, it was pretty early to be having a bad day on a Saturday.”

Pete Whirl was inside the store when he heard employees warn about a shooter.

“My instinct was to flee or hide and that’s what I was trying to do,” said Whirl. “I can see all the police and rescue and everybody out in the parking lot and that’s when I heard that the police had shot somebody out there.”

Officials said since this was an officer-involved shooting, Ocala Police cannot lead the investigation. Instead, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the incident.

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