Inglis man arrested during manhunt, charged with shooting passenger of a passing vehicle
LCSO mugshot of Ruttinger.
Shortly after 8:00 pm, on Wednesday evening, April 19, 2023, Levy County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to the intersection of SE 201 Street and State Road 40 East in Inglis, Florida, due to a reported shooting incident.
Deputies arrived at the location to find a 47 year-old man who had been shot in the leg with what appeared to be a shotgun blast, according to LCSO Lt. Scott Tummond. The victim was transported to a nearby emergency center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
Numerous deputies arrived at the location to assist in locating the shooting suspect. Lt. Tummond said that the victim and witness told deputies that a shot came at them from a nearby property they were passing, and the driver stopped the vehicle and began yelling at the shooter. Meanwhile, the passenger exited the vehicle, and a second shot was fired, which struck the victim's leg. The victim and driver then fled from the area and contacted law enforcement.
Deputies responded to the location where the shooter was last seen. The shooter was not located at the home or on the property, but deputies found (unspecified) evidence that the shooter was still nearby. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit, Air 1, responded to assist Levy County deputies. Shortly after midnight, Air 1 located a man hiding in the woods on the property. Levy County deputies apprehended the man - 63 year-old David Andrew Ruttinger, of Inglis - and took him into custody.
According to Lt. Tummond, Ruttinger told deputies that he fired at the vehicle because it was driving in a reckless manner, that reckless drivers are a constant issue near his home, and he was attempting to shoot the tire. He said that he panicked when he saw law enforcement officers on scene and hid in the woods.
Ruttinger was booked into the Levy County Detention Bureau, charged with aggravated battery using a deadly weapon, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, resisting or obstructing an officer without violence, firing a weapon in a public place or on a residential property, criminal mischief with damage to property greater than $200 but less than $1,000, and firing a weapon at or into a vehicle. He is being held on a $307,000 bond.
"I appreciate the assistance provided by Sheriff Billy Woods and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office personnel," said Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum, "and encourage citizens to exercise their Second Amendment rights for only legitimate, self-defense situations."