TAMPA, Fla. — A man who was shot by police in downtown Tampa on Saturday allegedly threatened to shoot another officer before a reserve officer opened fire, the Tampa Police Department said.
The shooting happened in the 600 block of Channelside Drive on Saturday night, not far from Sparkman Wharf and Amalie Arena.
According to Tampa Police, two reserve officers, Paul Spike Hopkins and Shelby Riggs-Hopkins, were working the intersection as part of the Tampa Bay Lightning game around 7 p.m.
TPD said they came into contact with Jaquan James Thomas, 38, who police said threatened to shoot another officer and reached for his pocket, police said the early investigation found.
At that point, TPD said Shelby Riggs-Hopkins fired at Thomas and hit him three times. Thomas was taken to a local hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
TPD said that a gun has not been recovered at this time.
"The officer that fired their weapon has over a decade of law enforcement experience,” said Brett Owen with the Tampa Police Department.
Tampa Police released video of the shooting that is from a distance on a HART Trolley. Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said that many people were downtown when this happened and urged anyone with video of the incident to share it with The Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
People who were eating at restaurants nearby told ABC Action News they thought the shots were fireworks.
“Then I was like, oh my god, wait, no, this is actually real, so I grabbed her, and we both ran inside, and we hid under the bar," said Katie Bahlinger.
“It was a surreal experience just because it sounded so much like fireworks, like it was a really stressful like five minutes, but then the manager of the restaurant was like it’s okay, they said it’s fine to come out," said Grace Kronsnoble.
FDLE is leading the investigation in this case. Both reserve officers involved will be placed on administrative duties.
Reserve officers are volunteer employees used in special events and emergencies. They do not have body-worn cameras, according to TPD.
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