A fatal shooting tied to a dog attack led to a manhunt, a school lockdown and a murder indictment.
LEESBURG, Fla. — A shooting that began near a wooded homeless encampment on Griffin Road triggered a wider law enforcement response in Leesburg before police arrested a man now indicted in the death of dog owner Shawn Cyriacks.
The April 17 case drew attention because it began with a dog attack, then widened into a homicide investigation, a search involving aviation and drones, and a lockdown at Carver Middle School. Prosecutors now say 43-year-old Matthew Lee Pasco committed first-degree murder with a firearm during the confrontation.
For people near Griffin Road that morning, the first signs of trouble were not court filings or charges. They were sirens, a helicopter and uncertainty about where a gunshot had come from. Deputies had responded to the area around 1904 Griffin Road after a woman was reported bitten by multiple dogs near a homeless camp. A caller was trying to help guide emergency medical workers toward the road when shouting could be heard. Then came a gunshot. The caller told dispatch there was now a gunshot wound. Authorities later said the wounded man was Cyriacks, 36, who was taken to Leesburg Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead at about 8:30 a.m.
The response quickly expanded. Deputies confirmed a shooting, treated the scene as an active homicide investigation and set up a perimeter. They used aviation, drones and K-9 units while trying to find Pasco, who they believed had fled. The search did not immediately locate him. Local reports said Carver Middle School was placed on lockdown because of the search, though the school later dismissed students. A nearby homeowner told a television reporter that hearing the shot left residents unsure of the danger. “Just hearing the shot, you don’t know where it’s coming from,” the homeowner said. “It could be over here or over there.”
Investigators later pieced together what they say happened inside and around the camp before the search began. A female witness told detectives she had stayed in Pasco’s tent the previous night. She woke when Pasco’s wife was being attacked by dogs, she said. Pasco went outside, returned to the tent and retrieved a black pistol with a laser attached to it. The witness said Pasco stated that he was going to kill the dogs. She followed him toward a trail, where the dogs and Cyriacks were located. Cyriacks raised his arms and protested, according to the witness. He told Pasco, “You’re not going to shoot the dogs.”
The witness account describes the fatal moment as an argument, not a struggle. Detectives said Cyriacks made no threats and no threatening gestures. Pasco allegedly said that if Cyriacks got in the way, he could die too. He then allegedly asked Cyriacks whether he thought Pasco would not shoot him as well. Investigators said Pasco pointed the gun at Cyriacks and fired into his chest. The woman who had been attacked by the dogs had already been carried out of the wooded area with bleeding wounds. She later said she heard a pop and the sound of Cyriacks hitting the ground, but she denied Pasco was present.
After the shooting, one witness told detectives Pasco went back to his tent and left on a gray bicycle about five minutes later. That detail helped explain why the initial search around the camp did not find him despite the perimeter and air support. Authorities identified Pasco as a wanted person in the fatal shooting. Leesburg police later said Officer Kira Smith apprehended him on North Citrus Boulevard. A Lake County Sheriff’s Office sergeant confirmed Pasco was in custody. He was taken to the Lake County jail, where he was held without bond. The arrest ended the immediate neighborhood search but opened the next stage of the case.
The community impact also included the animal attack that started the emergency. The woman bitten by the dogs was transported to a hospital for treatment of several bites. One dog died, and another dog was injured, local reports said. Public accounts do not give a full number of dogs involved or say what happened to any surviving animals after the scene was cleared. The records do not state whether animal control issued any citations or whether the dog attack remains under separate review. What investigators have made clear is that Cyriacks owned the dogs and was trying to stop Pasco from shooting them when the argument turned deadly.
Eight days after the shooting, the Office of State Attorney Bill Gladson for the Fifth Judicial Circuit announced that a grand jury had indicted Pasco. The true bill charged him with first-degree murder with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Prosecutors allege Pasco acted from a premeditated design and discharged a gun that caused Cyriacks’ death. Assistant State Attorney Nicholas Camuccio is prosecuting the case. The indictment means the evidence has moved from the investigative stage into the formal court process, where witness statements, 911 audio and physical evidence may be tested.
The case left an unusual mix of public concerns in its wake. Residents had questions about the shooting and search. Parents had questions about the school lockdown. Investigators had questions about the gun, the dog attack, the statements witnesses attributed to Pasco and his movements after the shot. Prosecutors must prove each charge beyond a reasonable doubt. Pasco is presumed innocent unless convicted. The public records reviewed so far do not include a detailed defense position. They also do not say whether Pasco has entered a plea to the indicted charges or whether any additional hearings beyond May 18 have been scheduled.
Griffin Road returned to normal traffic after the search, but the case remains active. Pasco is in custody without bond, and the May 18 court date is expected to mark the next public step in the murder prosecution.
Author note: Last updated May 10, 2026.