Timotheus Gersom Reed, a 38-year-old Black man from Leesburg, Florida, was shot and killed by a Lake County sheriff’s deputy on April 12, 2026, after deputies and Leesburg police responded shortly after 6 a.m. to a 911 report of a person stabbed multiple times, including in the neck, near 2415 Montclair Road. Bystanders pointed officers to where the alleged stabbing suspect had fled; a deputy located Reed a short distance away and fired one shot. Reed was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead. An autopsy found a single gunshot wound to the left side of his abdomen.

Investigators recovered a knife near the location where the deputy encountered Reed, and authorities described Reed as the suspect in the stabbing call; the alleged stabbing victim has not been publicly identified. The deputy’s body-worn camera footage does not show the shooting itself because it reportedly was not activated; released footage shows only the aftermath. The deputy who fired the shot was placed on administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement reviews the incident, and Reed’s family and friends have publicly questioned the official account and called for greater transparency.

If anyone witnessed the encounter or has information about what happened on Montclair Road that morning, please share what you know.