CLERMONT, Fla. — A standoff between a gunman and Clermont police officers on Wednesday at the Cottonwood Clermont Apartment complex ended after four-plus hours.

The Clermont Police Department said the incident started Wednesday afternoon when they received a call about a woman screaming for help while being chased by a man in his late 20s.

Officers said when they arrived, they found a bloody trail that led them to an apartment where they found the woman shot to death. 

What You Need To Know

  • Police say a man killed himself during a standoff with officers at the Cottonwood Clermont Apartment complex
  • Officers arrived at the complex to find a woman dead, when the suspect began shooting at police

  • Authorities say the woman was chased by the man before she was fatally shot
  • After an hours-long standoff, police found the man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound

The suspect then began shooting at the police officers, authorities said.

“They were immediately met with gunfire by an adult suspect at the top of the stairs,” says Clermont Police Captain Malcolm Draper.

The suspect ran into a nearby apartment building on Hooks Street after officers returned fire.

Other law enforcement agencies — Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Groveland Police Department & the Mid-Florida SWAT team — then arrived on scene to assist.

“We held our position. We used different types of intel gathering technology, such as drones, to gather information,” Draper explained.

Law enforcement evacuated nearby buildings out of precaution and told some tenants to shelter in place.

After several hours, police entered the building where they found the suspect dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

According to Draper, detectives believe the man and woman were romantically involved and shared an apartment together at Cottonwood.

No other injuries occurred during the shooting. 

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating the officer-involved shooting, which is standard practice.