ARMED HOME INVASION LEADS TO DEPUTY INVOLVED SHOOTING; SUSPECT, ONE VICTIM DEAD, ONE INJURED
WALTON COUNTY, Fla— An armed home invasion leads to a deputy-involved shooting early Friday in Walton County.
At approximately 6:30 am on October 31st, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a home invasion in the Mack Bayou Pointe neighborhood. The caller told dispatchers that people inside the home had been stabbed and shot.
Deputies arrived on scene within minutes and immediately heard gunfire coming from the residence on Beacon Way. The deputies encountered 29-year-old Jared Andrew Keller in the front yard and issued verbal commands instructing him to show his hands. Keller went back into the home and armed himself with a weapon. Deputies then engaged the suspect, who died at the scene.
Two victims of the home invasion, a brother and sister in their 70s, were transported to local hospitals. One was later pronounced deceased, and the other was treated and released with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
At this time, it is believed Keller went to the home looking for his mother, who was staying at the home as a caretaker. She was able to flee the scene and was not injured.
At the request of the Sheriff, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has responded to investigate the deputy-involved shooting. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Bureau will handle the investigation into the home invasion and homicide. The State Attorney’s Office is also assisting at the scene.