ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Authorities say a Pinellas County deputy is recovering after he was shot by a suspect Sunday night in Pinellas Park. The suspect was killed by another deputy who returned fire, the authorities said.
According to information provided by St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway, who spoke on behalf of the Pinellas County Deadly Use of Force Taskforce, deputies were called to the area near the corner of 60th Ave. N and 64th St. N around 6:50 p.m. after a neighbor informed them that the suspect was attempting to burglarize cars.
According to Holloway, two deputies spotted the suspect at a nearby church, and chased him through the area and over multiple fences, but they were ambushed in a backyard by the man, who the taskforce said was armed with a handgun.
Holloway said the suspect shot one of the deputies — a K9 handler and corporal with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office — multiple times. A sergeant with the department ducked for cover and returned fire.
The corporal was transported to Bayfront Health. He is in stable condition and is expected to survive, according to St. Petersburg Police. The suspect was killed.
All things considered, Holloway believes the situation could have been much worse for the deputies involved, and he considers them lucky.
“Very lucky," he said. "You know, where our phones went off, and you see where a deputy is shot. Trust me, like I said, that phone call — you don’t want that phone call. Getting here is the longest drive in your life — trying to update, trying to figure out what’s going on, what that deputy — it’s hard. It’s hard on everybody in the law enforcement community.”
Names of the deputies involved or the suspect have not been released.
