Orange County deputies fatally shoot man who fired at them, sheriff says

OAK RIDGE, Fla. – Orange County deputies who were attempting to arrest a wanted man were instead fired upon and in return, ended up fatally shooting the suspect, according to Orange County Sheriff John Mina.

Mina said a woman who was the victim in a domestic violence case that involved battery and false imprisonment contacted them Tuesday morning because the suspect in that incident, who was wanted on multiple charges out of Altamonte Springs, was calling her repeatedly and making concerning comments, including a remark about how he didn’t want to go back to prison.

Around 11 a.m., the department’s felony squad responded to Pendleton Drive, a residential area in Oak Ridge, and saw the wanted man, 38-year-old Lewis Ruffin Jr., standing outside a home.

“As soon as our deputies got out of their cars, he fired two rounds at our deputies from a small handgun,” Mina said.

The five deputies who were on scene are all believed to have returned fire.

Ruffin was taken to an area hospital, where he died.

The deputies were not injured.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public to avoid the area near South Texas Avenue and Americana Boulevard for at least a few hours while they investigate the deputy-involved shooting.

It wasn’t immediately clear why the suspect was at the home on Peddleton Drive.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting, which is standard procedure.

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