Prosecutors say Matthew Pasco shot Shawn Cyriacks during a confrontation near a homeless encampment off Griffin Road.

LEESBURG, Fla. — A Lake County grand jury has indicted a Leesburg man on first-degree murder and firearm charges after deputies said he shot a dog owner during a confrontation that began with a woman being attacked by dogs near a wooded encampment.

The indictment moved the case against 43-year-old Matthew Lee Pasco from an emergency call and weekend search into a formal prosecution. Shawn Cyriacks, 36, died after the April 17 shooting near 1904 Griffin Road. Pasco is being held without bond at the Lake County Detention Facility while prosecutors prepare the murder case.

The first call to dispatch was not about a shooting. Deputies were sent to the area after a caller reported that a woman had been bitten by multiple dogs near a homeless camp in Leesburg. While the dispatcher was still gathering information, screaming could be heard in the background. The caller then reported that there was a gunshot wound. Deputies arrived and found Cyriacks injured. Emergency workers treated him at the scene and took him to Leesburg Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at about 8:30 a.m., according to investigative accounts. “There’s a gunshot wound, now,” the caller told the dispatcher as the situation changed from a dog attack to a shooting investigation.

Investigators said Pasco had been staying in a tent in the wooded area with his wife. A female witness told detectives she had spent the previous night in Pasco’s tent and woke to the sound of Pasco’s wife being attacked by dogs. Pasco stepped outside, then came back to retrieve a black pistol that had a laser attached to it, the witness said. He told her he was going to kill the dogs. Detectives said Cyriacks, who owned the dogs, moved to stop Pasco from harming them. The witness said Cyriacks raised his arms and told Pasco, “You’re not going to shoot the dogs.” Investigators said Cyriacks made no threats and did not make threatening gestures before he was shot in the chest.

The affidavit described a short but violent confrontation on a trail in the camp area. Pasco allegedly said that if Cyriacks got in the way, he could die too. When Cyriacks challenged him, Pasco allegedly answered, “You think I won’t shoot you, too?” Deputies said Pasco pointed the pistol at Cyriacks and fired. The woman who had been bitten by the dogs had already been carried out of the woods with bleeding wounds before the shooting, investigators said. She told detectives she heard a pop and the sound of Cyriacks hitting the ground, but denied that Pasco was present. Another witness told detectives Pasco ran back to his tent after the shooting and left the area on a gray bicycle about five minutes later.

The shooting prompted a search that spread beyond the wooded camp. Deputies established a perimeter and used aviation, drones and K-9 units, but Pasco was not found immediately. The search affected nearby residents and at least one school. Carver Middle School was placed on lockdown during the law enforcement response, then later dismissed. A nearby homeowner told a local television station that the sound of a gunshot and the sight of a helicopter left people uncertain about where the danger was. Investigators said one dog died in the incident and another was injured. The woman who was bitten was taken to a hospital for treatment of several wounds.

Pasco was arrested after the shooting and later indicted by the grand jury. The Office of State Attorney Bill Gladson for the Fifth Judicial Circuit announced that the grand jury returned a true bill charging Pasco with first-degree murder with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Prosecutors allege Pasco acted with premeditated design, possessed and discharged a firearm, and caused Cyriacks’ death. Assistant State Attorney Nicholas Camuccio is prosecuting the case. The indictment also makes the firearm allegation central to the case, including the claim that Pasco was legally barred from possessing a gun because of a felony record.

Records and local reports show the case moved quickly over eight days. The shooting happened on or about April 17. Pasco was identified as a person of interest and then as a wanted suspect. Police said he was apprehended in Leesburg on North Citrus Boulevard by Leesburg Police Officer Kira Smith. The state attorney’s office announced the indictment on April 25. The next listed court date in the case is May 18. Pasco remains in custody on no bond. A no-bond status means he is not scheduled for release while the case moves forward unless a judge changes that status later.

The case also left several questions for court. Investigators have described the shooting as deliberate and intentional, while early reports said Pasco initially appeared to be responding to a dog attack on his wife. Prosecutors must prove the charges in court, and Pasco is presumed innocent unless convicted. The affidavit says Cyriacks was trying to protect his dogs and did not threaten Pasco. The same records say Pasco armed himself, made statements about killing the dogs, then shot the dog owner during the argument. The difference between an armed response to an animal attack and an alleged premeditated killing is now at the center of the prosecution.

The wooded area near the Florida Health Lake County WIC Office became the scene of a homicide investigation, a dog bite response and a fugitive search in the same morning. Witness accounts placed people moving between tents, a trail and the road as emergency crews tried to reach the injured woman and then Cyriacks. The scene’s layout appears to matter because witnesses described Pasco leaving the trail, returning to his tent and then riding away. Detectives also relied on the 911 audio, witness interviews and the location of the shooting as they built the probable cause account that later supported the murder charge.

As of May 10, Pasco remains jailed without bond in Lake County. The next public milestone in the case is his May 18 court date, when the murder and firearm charges are expected to continue through the circuit court process.

Author note: Last updated May 10, 2026.