DOVER, Fla. — An April 20 shooting in Hillsborough County led to a deputy-involved shooting in Dover Monday afternoon.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the suspect, Dwayne Davis, 35, got into a fight with a relative about work they had finished and who deserved the most money for it. HCSO said Davis shot the relative in the leg in April of 2022.
Deputies were performing a community policing effort called, "Walk It Like I Talk It" on Monday. Deputies are encouraged to talk to community members to build rapport.
"During their interaction with some of the community members, they were informed that our wanted subject was in the area," Sheriff Chad Chronister said.
HCSO said deputies closed in their search and approached the home of the wanted suspect's girlfriend.
The girlfriend allegedly told deputies she didn't know if Davis was in a shed near the home. HCSO said deputies had reasonable suspicion to enter the shed immediately but decided to knock and announced themselves multiple times.
With no one inside answering, deputies, along with a K-9 deputy, cut the lock and entered the shed. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said the K-9 alerted them to an area with blankets and started pulling at the area.
"As the dog is attempting to pull the blanket off, our wanted subject, he sits up," Chronister said. "He sits up abruptly and points the gun, a firearm at the two deputies. The two deputies were more than in fear for their lives, more than justified to discharge their firearms at this point, but they choose not to."
HCSO said Davis sat up and pointed a gun at the deputies, but deputies did not discharge their weapons.
Davis, according to Sheriff Chronister, then dropped the gun and raised his hands. Sheriff Chronister said Davis turned around and reached for a weapon — either the gun he had surrendered or an AR-15 with double magazines in it.
The sheriff's office said deputies fired and hit Davis several times in the torso. According to the sheriff's office, neither deputy-involved had any previous record of using deadly force. Each deputy had more than 20 years of experience at the sheriff's office.
Davis was taken to Tampa General Hospital and was last listed in critical condition.
"His girlfriend who was the one not being completely forthright and because of that some deputies could have lost their lives today," Sheriff Chronister said. "Fortunately that didn’t happen."
The girlfriend, identified as Dana Rice, 31, was arrested and charged with obstruction and resisting an officer without violence.
Sheriff Chronister said neither deputy inside the shed, nor anyone else at the scene was injured during the shooting.
