Man dies by suicide after taking shots at Florida Keys deputies’ cars, sheriff says
A man died by suicide after taking shots at Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies’ cars from a Florida Keys condominium rooftop last Thursday night, according to the agency.
The tense situation began shortly before 10 p.m. when 911 calls came in about a man throwing bottles at passing traffic from the roof of a condo at Number 9, Sombrero Boulevard in the Middle Keys city of Marathon, Monroe Sheriff Rick Ramsay told the Miami Herald.
When deputies arrived, they heard gunshots coming from the roof, Ramsay said. Deputies immediately shut down traffic on Sombrero Road, a street that runs east from U.S. 1 toward a popular Keys beach, and set up a perimeter, Ramsay said.
Three patrol cars were hit by bullets, Ramsay said, but none of his deputies were injured.
Tactical team deputies also set up positions across the canal from the condo, the sheriff said.
The only access to the roof was through a hatch, and deputies determined it was too unsafe for their people to breach.
The Sheriff’s Office requested a helicopter from a Florida Air National Guard that is stationed at nearby Marathon International Airport to check out the rooftop, but the request was denied, Ramsay said.
The Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office then sent down two choppers upon Monroe’s request, Ramsay said., one of which was manned with a sniper. The Dade crews flew over the two-story building and saw a man on his back with blood coming from his head, Ramsay said.
Monroe deputies then breached the rooftop and found the man’s body — with an AR-15 rifle at his side — dead from a self-inflicted gunshot, Ramsay said. Ramsay said he also had a Glock pistol and a knife.
The sheriff’s office on Friday identified the man as 53-year-old Duane Clayton Day. Ramsay said Day’s divorce from his wife was finalized this week, and he also had recently lost his job.
“I am relieved no Deputies or members of the public were harmed during this incident,” Ramsay said in a statement. “I want to thank the brave Deputies and Officers who responded and ran toward danger to ensure our community’s safety.”
This story was originally published May 9, 2025 at 7:11 AM.
