1 dead after officer-involved shooting in St. Pete: SPPD
Police shoot, kill man making threats to himself
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office provided more details on an officer invovled shooting that happened Sunday morning. Officials say St. Pete PD officers were responding to a call of an attempted suicide, when they found the man holding a knife. They tried taking down the man with tasers, before ultimately shooting him after the man charged at officers with the knife. FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The St. Petersburg Police Department is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Sunday morning on Pershing Street Northeast that resulted in the death of one person.
St. Pete officer-involved shooting
What we know:
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, a call came in before 11:20 a.m. on Sunday about an attempted suicide inside a home.
Based on preliminary information, deputies say two brothers were in the residence at the time when 37-year-old Kasey Sedlock was found with a knife.
PCSO said the brother was able to disarm him before law enforcement arrived, and put the knife inside a car.
But, when officers with the St. Pete Police Department arrived, they found Kasey inside the home with the knife.
He then began shouting at the cops to shoot him.
Deputies say officers deployed a taser to disarm him. He fell to the floor and dropped the knife.
But, Sedlock continued to try and reach for the knife, in which officers fired off their taser again. PCSO said Sedlock continued to tell officers to shoot him.
PCSO said Sedlock then grabbed the knife again, got up and started coming towards the officers. At that point, one officer shot him four times.
Sedlock was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:18 p.m.
One officer was transported to the hospital due to blood exposure, but no injuries were reported.
What we don't know:
PCSO had not released the name of the shooting officer, due to a new law starting on Wednesday, July 1st that prohibits law enforcement from releasing an officer’s name in the first 72 hours of a shooting investigation. That officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.
This is still an ongoing investigation. Updates will be released as they become available.
What they're saying:
Ken Gibson with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay says the suspect’s brother did everything right. He said, "Really, law enforcement should be involved. An intervention is likely dictated in a situation like that if you feel like that person is going to take their life. So there are resources available."
He says every situation is different, but help is available through the 988 hotline.
"We actually answer it for Hillsborough County. And then we actually do have staff members that are called care coordinators," he said.
What's next:
If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
The Source: This article was written using information from St. Petersburg Police Department and a press conference from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.