A little after 1 p.m. a healthcare professional called 911, alerting them a man may be suicidal in his home and he had a number of weapons in the house.
The homeowner was identified as Joseph Allen Schlosser. The incident occurred at his home along Ridge Top Loop in Weeki Wachee.
"His nurse arrived there and she (saw) him with a gun and she ran out of the house and called police," Tony Akers said.
Akers lives in the neighborhood and said he is Schlosser's friend. According to the sheriff's office, a deputy and sergeant who are both trained in this kind of situation responded to the home.
"I was in the driveway and then the police officers surrounded the house," Akers said.
Deputies said at first they tired a non-lethal way to take Schlosser into custody.
"Then I heard one gunshot and then I heard about 10 gunshots after that and then the medics went in," Akers said.
Akers saw them take Schlosser away. He was pronounced dead at a trauma center.
"I didn't expect this because I was just with him on Friday. He was in good spirits. We were actually doing business at the Marine Corps League. He was looking forward to getting involved, but he was in a lot of pain and I think today he had a plan to commit suicide," Akers said.
Akers said his friend was a member of the Marine Corps League in Spring Hill and had served with the Marine Corps, during Vietnam.
"He's been very ill from the effects of Vietnam…Agent Orange….for years. He had severe bone infections and he's been fighting it for a long time," Akers said.
Akers is also a member of the Marine Corps League; he said their mission is to support Veterans.
"We're losing 22 Vets a day to suicide and (Joseph) "Doc" Schlosser is now a victim of that statistic," Akers said.
Akers also said, "he had a major internal struggle. I really don't feel he meant to have the police involved".
Akers said he and his family will miss their friend dearly.
"'Doc' was a great storyteller. He was a lot of fun to be around. He was giving. He was generous," Akers said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation. The deputy and sergeant involved in today's shooting were placed paid administrative leave, pending the results of the investigation.
