Domestic disputes: Law enforcement's most dangerous calls
TAMPA (FOX 13) - What started as a frantic 911 call ended with an apartment complex parking lot riddled with bullet casings Sunday morning.
Hillsborough deputies were called out to Grovedale Drive around 1 a.m. Sunday to assist a victim of domestic violence. Soon after they got there, they say the woman's boyfriend came back to the scene -- armed with a semi-automatic handgun.
"In this case, it was an individual who obviously was prepared to utilize deadly force," HCSO's Detective Larry McKinnon said Monday.
Deputies say Jamil Valladares started shooting at them. They returned fire. Valladares wound up in the hospital. The two deputies walked away unharmed.
Hours earlier, Pinellas Park police responded to a similar scene. A mom called 911 Saturday night after her husband and son started bickering over beer. Before police could arrive, they say the father shot and killed his son. Then, police say 59-year old Waldemar Bogusiewicz turned the gun on them. He died in the firefight. Officers walked away from a frighteningly close call.
"I've been doing this 38 years, and I can tell you the most dangerous calls we can go on are domestic violence cases. The bottom line is you're dealing with people's emotions," McKinnon said.
The Spring, a Bay Area domestic violence center, echoes that danger.
"This is not a 'He lost control, he got angry, he just lost his job, he was drinking.' This is a chosen behavior," The Spring's Mindy Murphy said Monday.
They host a 24/7, 128-bed emergency shelter for victims fleeing from abuse. Each year, they help about 1,200 women and children. They say every call should be treated as a life-or-death situation.
"These are dangerous guys, they're dangerous to their partners, and they can be dangerous to law enforcement as we saw this weekend," Murphy said.
The four law enforcement officers involved in those two shootings have been placed on routine paid administrative leave.