PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Deadly Force task force, with St. Pete Police as the lead agency, is investigating a shooting involving a deputy on Saturday
According to PSCO, deputies responded to Sunshine Mobile Park at 7403 46th Ave. N. about a call regarding an argument between neighbors.
Authorities said they spoke to a resident involved in the dispute and attempted to speak to the other homeowner, Samantha M. Belk, 54.
PSCO said Belk walked back inside her home and said she was getting her gun.
Belk walked back outside of her residence holding a black semiautomatic handgun, refusing to comply with the deputies' orders to drop the weapon, authorities said.
According to the release, Deputy Albert Johnson III discharged his duty weapon several times after Belk raised her weapon and pointed it toward the deputies.
Belk was taken to Northside Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased. No other injuries were reported.
“I was asleep and then all of a sudden, something woke me really fast. I'm a veteran with PTSD, so it could have been the shots themselves or it was my dog alerting me, but she wanted to come outside immediately. So, I thought she just needed to use the restroom and when we came outside, we saw him doing CPR," one neighbor, Chris Metzger, explained.
Metzger said it was disturbing to witness something like this happen so close to home.
"It was really hard for me because I was a medic. So seeing them do CPR was especially challenging, but because you pretty much knew at that point from the way people were walking around that she wasn't going to make it," Metzger added.
According to PCSO, Deputy Johnson has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation, and the other two deputies, who did not fire their weapons, will remain on duty.
The other two deputies, who did not fire their weapons, will remain on duty.
Because a PCSO deputy was involved in the shooting, the investigation will be handled by the St. Petersburg Police Department (SPPD).
This is an ongoing investigation; please check back for further details.
