LEESBURG, Fla. — Three newly released 911 calls provided additional details about what was reported before and immediately after Lake County sheriff’s deputies fatally shot 32-year-old Erik Leopold Sharpe at a Leesburg-area home Aug. 20.
The calls, obtained by Inside Lake, included two from the same caller at the home and a separate call from an air conditioning technician who was working there when the incident began. Information identifying the callers was redacted from the recordings.
During the approximately 11-minute first call, a caller reported a domestic disturbance involving Sharpe and firearms at 10110 Morningside Drive.
“We’re having a violent incident with involving a gun in our house and we’re afraid of our son shooting us,” the caller told the dispatcher.
When the dispatcher asked where Sharpe was with the gun, the caller said he did not have one at that time.
“He’s chasing my husband down trying to find the gun,” the caller said, adding that Sharpe might look for other guns.
Screaming could later be heard in the background. The caller told the dispatcher Sharpe had grabbed a bottle of vodka and was going to look for another gun before saying, “He just pushed me to the ground and beat me up.”
When the dispatcher asked whether that occurred while they were on the phone, the caller said yes.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” the caller said.
The caller told the dispatcher they wanted Sharpe removed from the home and planned to pursue a Marchman Act petition. The Marchman Act provides for voluntary admissions and involuntary assessment, stabilization, and treatment of adults and youth who are severely impaired due to substance abuse, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Later in the call, the caller said Sharpe was in his bedroom without a gun and that another person at the home had hidden a gun somewhere outside. The dispatcher then told the caller another person had reported hearing two gunshots and asked whether Sharpe had fired a gun.
The caller said Sharpe had fired a rifle in his bedroom and said he had no ammunition remaining for it. The caller later said the shots were fired into the ceiling, and no one was struck. As the dispatcher attempted to determine what other weapons Sharpe could access inside the home, the caller said the rifle had been hidden somewhere outside, possibly beside the house or in a garbage can. When asked about other weapons, the caller said a gun bag had been hidden in the garage the previous week but acknowledged there were additional guns in another bedroom.
“There are guns. But he doesn’t have access to them right now. As far as I know,” the caller said.
The dispatcher asked whether the guns were locked up, and the caller said they were not.
When asked whether Sharpe might become violent with law enforcement, the caller responded, “Probably.”
The caller told the dispatcher Sharpe had been drinking and alleged he had also punched another person at the home. At that point in the call, the caller was outside and told the dispatcher yelling could still be heard from inside.
A second 911 call came from an air conditioning technician who was working at the home. The connection was poor, but the technician told the dispatcher an altercation was taking place and described it as actively physical. The technician said he was outside and was calling as he attempted to get away from the situation.
“I know there’s a gun involved,” he told the dispatcher, adding that he had already heard two shots.
The technician said he did not see the gun and had only heard the shots. He told the dispatcher he was at the home to work on the air conditioning and was not going back inside to finish the job. He said he did not know what started the altercation and told the dispatcher a vehicle belonging to the person involved was blocked in.
Meanwhile, during the first 911 call, the caller continued waiting for deputies and asked when they would arrive, describing the wait at one point as “the longest couple of minutes ever.”
Near the end of the call, the caller reported Sharpe had walked outside.
“He’s got a gun,” the caller said.
The caller identified the weapon as a pistol and told the dispatcher they had run away and did not know what Sharpe was doing. As sirens got closer, the caller reported hearing multiple gunshots. Law enforcement arrived moments later and the call ended.
LCSO previously said deputies responded to the home just before 3 p.m. following a report of an armed domestic battery. LCSO said deputies encountered Sharpe armed with a firearm and that his actions forced deputies to discharge their weapons.
Previously released body-worn camera footage showed deputies approaching the residence with their weapons drawn and encountering Sharpe near the home, where he was seen holding a handgun. Deputies issued multiple commands before both deputies fired their weapons. Sharpe was killed, and neither deputy was injured.
The caller who made the first 911 call contacted dispatch again after the shooting, this time asking when an ambulance would arrive.
“I need to know where the ambulance is. My son was shot by the police and he’s laying on the front lawn,” the caller said.
The dispatcher explained emergency medical personnel could not enter until the scene was safe.
“You gotta be kidding me. It’s been 20 minutes,” the caller responded.
The dispatcher told the caller she understood the concern and explained that medical personnel were being notified and were staging away from the scene until it was safe for them to enter.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting, and the deputies involved were placed on leave following the incident, both standard procedures after a deputy-involved shooting.
Previous stories: Bodycam footage released in fatal Lake County deputy-involved shooting near Leesburg – Inside Lake
Man killed in deputy-involved shooting near Leesburg identified – Inside Lake
Armed person confronts Lake County deputies during domestic call near Leesburg – Inside Lake
