Shooting Archives - Inside Lake

Deputies: Brother-in-law accused of killing Eustis woman, held on federal immigration warrant

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Mount Dora, Tavares, Unincorporated Lake / By Marilyn M. Aciego

TAVARES, Fla.—An arrest warrant has been obtained for the brother-in-law of a Eustis woman found murdered in May.

Monica Islam, 44, was found shot to death near Scenic Hills Drive and Wolf Branch Road outside of Mount Dora around 7:30 a.m. May 2 after vanishing from Shell, 1701 South Bay Street, Eustis around 6 a.m. the same morning.

According to the missing person report obtained by Inside Lake, Islam’s daughter, Rimi Islam, reported her mother missing around 8:30 a.m. May 2. She told Eustis Police Department they left their home around 5:30 a.m. and arrived at Shell shortly after. She said her mom helped her with opening the store and then she went outside to take a walk around the parking lot, which was normal behavior.

Rimi Islam told police she got busy and lost track of where her mom was. Another employee told Rimi Islam she saw Monica Islam in the parking lot as she arrived at work, around 6:10 a.m. Rimi Islam tried calling her mom, who had left her purse behind at the store, and was unable to reach her. After going back to the home they shared and looking for Monica Islam and checking security cameras for her with no success, Rimi Islam reported her missing to EPD. While investigating Monica’s disappearance, EPD was made aware of a body found near Mount Dora; later identified as Monica Islam.

*Eustis Police Department investigates after Monica Islam was reported missing May 2, 2025, Courtesy photo*

Islam was found in Lake County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction; deputies responded to the scene and detectives took over the investigation. Through its investigation, LCSO found that Monica Islam had been the victim of a domestic violence committed by her husband, Rashedul Islam, and his brother Shahidul Islam in December 2024, in Eustis, LCSO Capt. John Herrell said in a press release.

In that incident, Rashedul Islam reportedly struck his wife and stole jewelry and paperwork related to a property in Bangladesh. Shahidul Islam pointed a gun at his sister-in-law and told her not to call 911, Herrell said. It was reported to EPD and Rashedul Islam fled the country before he was arrested.

Detectives also uncovered Shahidul Islam had previously been deported and had an immigration warrant for illegally reentering the United states, Herrell said.

Using information from license plate readers (LPR,) detectives connected Shahidul Islam to a home in Sanford and later found out he fled to New York in a rental car. U.S. Marshals located him, he was taken into custody on the federal immigration warrant and has remained in federal custody since May 6, according to Herrell.

“He will be served the homicide warrant and extradited back to Lake County once all the federal requirements related to his immigration status have been satisfied,” Herrell said.

Deputies: Brother-in-law accused of killing Eustis woman, held on federal immigration warrant Read More »

Arrest made in shooting of 14-year-old Eustis boy last month

Eustis, Inside Scoop / By Marilyn M. Aciego

EUSTIS, Fla.—A 20-year-old man is behind bars and is being held on no bond, accused of shooting a teenager in Eustis last month.

Ja’baree Lane, of Deltona, was picked up in Volusia County on a Eustis Police Department warrant for attempted second degree murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling and discharging a firearm in public, EPD Chief Craig Capri said, and more arrests are imminent.

According to a heavily-redated report, around 8:45 p.m. July 6, EPD responded to a call of a 14-year-boy who had been shot on Hazzard Avenue. As officers arrived, a woman flagged officers down and said the teen was inside a home, suffering from a gunshot wound.

Police entered the home and found the boy lying on his back with a gunshot wound to his inner thigh, according to a report. An officer rendered aid and applied pressure to the wound until Lake EMS arrived and took over the boy’s care. He was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando for treatment and later released.

Previous story: 14-year-old boy shot in Eustis Sunday, police investigating – Inside Lake

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First responders render aid to a 5-year-old Eustis boy after he shot himself in the head last month. PHOTO: Carl Fowler/Inside Lake contributor

Father of Eustis boy, 5, who shot himself last month, facing charges

Eustis, Inside Scoop / By Marilyn M. Aciego

EUSTIS, Fla.—The father of the young boy who found a gun under a pillow and shot himself last month has turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Dexter Demond Neal, who has cooperated with the investigation, turned himself in early Sunday evening at the Lake County Jail on a warrant for child neglect and culpable negligence and is being held on no bond, Eustis Police Department Chief Craig Capri told Inside Lake. Inside Lake was the first to report Neal’s son shot himself in the head after finding an unsecured firearm June 29 at his home on Hunters Trail Circle.

Capri said Neal, 49, often slept with his autistic son, whose name has not been released, and on June 28 he went to bed with a firearm beneath a pillow, something he told police he had never done before. He got up the next morning to assist his wife and make his children breakfast, forgetting the gun was in the room. The boy and his sibling were eating while Neal turned his attention to assisting his wife. Soon, he heard the gunshot and immediately ran into the bedroom to his son and began to render aid.

A female 911 caller reported she heard a gunshot and said her 5-year-old brother was bleeding profusely, and a second caller, a neighbor who is a police officer in a neighboring county, stated a juvenile sustained a gunshot wound above his left eye and it appeared to be self-inflicted. He told dispatch his wife, an off-duty flight nurse, was rendering aid to the boy and he was getting his first-aid kit. Eustis Police Department quickly responded to the home around 9:15 a.m.

When police arrived, the boy was lying on the hood of a vehicle while the flight nurse was applying pressure to his wound and “QuikClot.” QuikClot is a brand of hemostatic dressings designed to rapidly control bleeding by accelerating the body’s natural clotting process, according to the company’s website.

*The Air Care Team transports a 5-year-old Eustis boy to Orlando after he shot himself in the head last month. PHOTO: Carl Fowler/Inside Lake contributor*

Neal was with his son, emotionally distraught and he “remained focused on his son’s well-being,” an EPD report states. The boy was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando for treatment and has since been released. He’s recovering in an undisclosed physical therapy facility, Capri said. ”He’s doing better than expected and we ask the community to continue to pray for him.”

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More details released in deputy-involved shooting, suspect has history of domestic violence

Inside Scoop, Unincorporated Lake / By Marilyn M. Aciego

DeLAND, Fla.—The suspect shot by Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies Tuesday night pointed a rifle at deputies before he was shot, according to LCSO.

Around 8:10 p.m., LCSO responded to a domestic battery at 31801 Division Street in the DeLand area of Lake County. A woman reported her husband, Harold Malcolm Hughes, 62, was drunk and threw a hot coffee pot at her. The victim was able to escape the home and spoke with deputies at an undisclosed location near her home, LCSO said. Deputies went to the home to attempt to speak with Hughes, who exited the residence holding a rifle in his hands. He ignored deputies’ commands to put the rifle down.

“Mr. Hughes ignored the repeated verbal commands, where he leveled the rifle at deputies, LCSO Public Information Officer Deputy Stephanie Earley said. “Two deputies were forced to discharge their firearms, striking Mr. Hughes.”

*Harold Hughes is seen here in a 2024 booking photo from a prior arrest.*

The deputies were not injured and rendered aid to Hughes. He was transported by air to HCA Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford, where he remained Wednesday, Earley said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement responded to the scene Tuesday night and is investigating the shooting, standard procedure in all law enforcement-involved shootings. The deputies who fired their weapons are on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, also standard procedure.

Hughes is facing several charges, including two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and domestic battery, and will be held on no bond upon his release from the hospital. Hughes has been arrested multiple times in Lake County since 2022, all for domestic violence related crimes. He was arrested in 2024 after being accused of pointing a gun at his wife and calling her racial slurs. That charge was later dropped. In 2023, his wife was granted an injunction for protection, Hughes was arrested for violating that injunction and it was dissolved in early 2024, according to Lake County Clerk of Court online records.

More details released in deputy-involved shooting, suspect has history of domestic violence Read More »

14-year-old boy shot in Eustis Sunday, police investigating

Eustis, Inside Scoop / By Marilyn M. Aciego

EUSTIS, Fla.—Eustis Police Department is investigating a shooting that sent a teenager to the hospital by helicopter Sunday night.

According to a heavily-redated report, around 8:45 p.m., EPD responded to a report of a 14-year-boy who had been shot on Hazzard Avenue. As officers arrived, a woman flagged officers down and said the teen was inside a home, suffering from a gunshot wound.

Police entered the home and found the boy lying on his back with a gunshot wound to his inner thigh, according to a report. An officer rendered aid, applied pressure to the wound until Lake EMS arrived and took over the boy’s care. He was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando for treatment.

Witnesses told police the suspects shot through the window of the home and another witness, whose name is redacted, said she was sitting on the couch and heard what she thought were fireworks. She then noticed an “impact” on the refrigerator and heard the teen yelling he had been shot from outside the home. She told police she and her two sons helped the boy into the home. She said ran down the street in an attempt to engage the shooter but was “unsuccessful in locating anyone or the vehicle,” the report states.

Later in the report, a woman whose name is also redacted, said she grabbed her firearm and pointed it at a fleeing vehicle but did not fire any shots. EPD refuses to confirm if the two women are one in the same, stating it’s, “part of the investigation.”

Several more witnesses provided possible suspect information to police and a neighbor provided a still shot from a security camera that showed a vehicle he told police had slowly passed by his home numerous times before the shooting occurred. The make and model of the vehicle is redacted from the report.

Multiple shell casings were found near the scene, but how many, the type and the exact location are also redacted from the report.

If you have information, call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.

14-year-old boy shot in Eustis Sunday, police investigating Read More »

Air Care Team approaches a landing zone on Grand Island Shores Road Sunday to transport a 5-year-old Eustis boy to Orlando for treatment after an accidental shooting. PHOTO: Courtesy of Carl Fowler

Eustis boy, 5, accidentally shoots himself Sunday, in stable condition

Eustis, Inside Scoop / By Marilyn M. Aciego

EUSTIS, Fla.—A Eustis boy is in stable condition after accidentally shooting himself in the head Sunday morning.

Around 9:15 a.m. Sunday, Eustis Police Department, Eustis Fire Department, Lake County Fire Rescue, Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Lake EMS quickly responded to the home on Hunter’s Trail and after the boy was stabilized, he was airlifted to an Orlando hospital by Air Care Team, EPD Chief Craig Capri said.

The boy’s name has not been released, and Capri said the investigation is still very active. The boy had surgery on Sunday and is now recovering.

“Our prayers are with the boy and his family. We wish him strength and a speedy recovery,” Capri said.

Eustis boy, 5, accidentally shoots himself Sunday, in stable condition Read More »

Leesburg shooting victim identified, suspect facing murder charges

Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Mount Dora / By Marilyn M. Aciego

LEESBURG, Fla.—Leesburg Police Department has identified the man shot and killed Friday night.

Around 7 p.m., Dontae D. Copeland, 20, of Leesburg was found suffering from at least one gunshot wound in the 1000 block of Tuskegee Street, LPD Lt. Shannon Walsh said. Officers and EMS personnel rendered aid to Copeland, and he was transported to UF Health Leesburg Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

While investigating the murder Friday, Kameryn Pickard, 18, of Mount Dora, turned himself in with his father at LPD, Walsh said. He was later arrested for premeditated murder and conspiracy – solicit, and is being held at the Lake County Jail on no bond.

Previous story: Father turns son in after man shot and killed in Leesburg Friday night – Inside Lake

Leesburg shooting victim identified, suspect facing murder charges Read More »

Father turns son in after man shot and killed in Leesburg Friday night

Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Mount Dora / By Marilyn M. Aciego

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story inaccurately stated Kameryn Pickard’s age due to incorrect information released by Leesburg Police Department. The story has been updated with Pickard’s correct age.

LEESBURG, Fla.—An 18-year-old Mount Dora man is facing charges for killing another man after his father turned him in to Leesburg police Friday.

Leesburg Police Department responded to a shooting in the 1000 block of Tuskegee Street around 7 p.m. Friday. When officers arrived, they found a 20-year-old man shot and officers, along with EMS, rendered aid to the man. He was transported to UF Health Leesburg Hospital and pronounced deceased. The man’s identity has not been released, pending notification of next of kin, LPD Lt. Shannon Walsh said.

While detectives and crime scene investigators were still on scene investigating the shooting, Kameryn Pickard’s father brought him to Leesburg Police Department and Pickard turned himself in, Walsh said.

“Detectives conducted an interview with Pickard and subsequently placed him under arrest, Walsh said. “Detectives are currently working with the State Attorney’s Office to determine the appropriate charges.”

At press time, Pickard had not been booked into the Lake County Jail.

LPD is asking anyone with information on the shooting to call them at 352-787-2121 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS. Crimeline callers may be eligible for a reward and can remain anonymous.

Father turns son in after man shot and killed in Leesburg Friday night Read More »

Knife-wielding man shot at Mount Dora bus stop Thursday

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Mount Dora / By Marilyn M. Aciego

MOUNT DORA, Fla.— A Winter Park man, arrested multiple times in Lake County, was shot in the leg at a Mount Dora bus stop Thursday morning and arrested, after accosting a man who first pepper-sprayed him, according to a report.

William Tyler Barrett, 29, is facing a charge of aggravated assault on a person over 65 years old and is being held on $10,000 bond. Curtis Roberson, 67, of Eustis, told Mount Dora Police Department he was leaving the parking lot of Walmart Supercenter, 17030 U.S. Highway 441, around 10 a.m. when Barrett approached him and made a comment he couldn’t make out. Roberson ignored him and kept walking to the bus stop located at U.S. Highway 441 and Spring Harbor Boulevard.

Barrett approached Roberson again at the bus stop, “behaving erratically” and accused Roberson of being at “his house,” the report states.

Barrett approached Roberson in an “aggressive manner” and Roberson emptied a canister of pepper spray and Barrett continued to approach him, now armed with a knife. Roberson told Barrett to “stop,” and “stay back,” multiple times and as Barrett advanced toward Roberson, he fired a single shot that struck Barrett in the leg, according to the report.

William Barrett is seen here in an October 2024 mugshot when he was picked up for a violation of probation. His most recent mugshot was not available at press time.

Barrett then left the scene and Roberson called police, along with an independent witness who saw the attack.

While officers and Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies spoke with Roberson, Barrett was located in the bushes at nearby Regions Bank. Mucus running from his nose and limping, Barrett told an MDPD officer he couldn’t see, and his eyes were hurting because he had been pepper-sprayed. The officer observed a knife and multiple bags around Barrett and once a deputy arrived, Barrett was detained, and the officer and deputy provided first aid to him, and they waited for EMS to arrive.

Barrett was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares for treatment, where he refused to cooperate with an officer at the hospital, only revealing his first name. He spoke in the third person about himself multiple times and told the officer he was preaching and repenting for his church. When asked who he was speaking to, Barrett reportedly said, the “spirit in the room.”

Later, Barrett told MDPD detectives he located Roberson and Roberson was a murderer and confronted him about why he was at his house. He said Roberson pulled out pepper spray and he pulled out a knife; and Roberson sprayed him and shot him in the leg. Barrett refused to answer any more of the detectives’ questions because he “did not like them,” according to the report. Barrett was placed under arrest and an emergency room doctor told police he would be initiating a Baker Act.

Knife-wielding man shot at Mount Dora bus stop Thursday Read More »

BREAKING NEWS: Man shot and killed by deputy after producing handgun in Clermont early Saturday

Clermont, Inside Scoop / By Marilyn M. Aciego

CLERMONT, Fla.—A man is dead after being shot by a Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy shortly after midnight, according to LCSO.

Just after 12:15 a.m. LCSO responded to a report of a suspicious person standing in the road yelling at passing vehicles in the area of Via Roma Circle in Clermont, and a second call came in reporting the man was beating on a resident’s door, LCSO Sgt. Jim Vachon said in an email.

When they arrived, they asked the man, later identified as 39-year-old Eric Escobar, to show his hands; Escobar refused.

“While trying to communicate with the individual, he produced a handgun, forcing one of our deputies to fire his service weapon,” Vachon said.

Escobar was pronounced deceased on the scene. No deputies or residents were injured in the incident.

The deputy, whose name has not been released, has been placed on administrative leave, pending a review by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, standard procedure in a deputy-involved shooting,

BREAKING NEWS: Man shot and killed by deputy after producing handgun in Clermont early Saturday Read More »