‘I’m going to kill everyone’: Armed man killed by officer sent threatening text before deadly shooting: PCSO
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - A Pinellas Park Police Department officer is on administrative leave after a domestic disturbance turned deadly early Tuesday morning.
According to Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, officers with the Pinellas Park Police Department were called to a home at 5000 94th Avenue North shortly after midnight Tuesday for a domestic disturbance.
Gualtieri said the situation began Monday when Jared Rudderham, 36, of St. Petersburg, began texting his ex-girlfriend who lived at the Pinellas Park home with her grandmother.
According to the sheriff, Rudderham and the woman have a seven-year-old child and had lived together in the past, but separated in August 2022. The sheriff said Rudderham was distraught and jealous of her dating other men.
Sheriff Gualtieri said Rudderham’s family told investigators he suffered from mental illness and was taking medication for anxiety, depression and other disorders.
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During the day on Monday, Rudderham and his ex-girlfriend were texting back and forth until investigators say he sent the woman a text stating, "I’m going to kill everyone," Gualtieri said. Gualtieri said the two stopped communicating until about 11 p.m. when he texted her ‘hey,’ and she did not respond.
According to PCSO, the ex-girlfriend knew Rudderham had a gun, but told officers she had not seen it recently and that he was not known to regularly carry it on him.
Police car and crime scene tape outside officer-involved shooting scene in Pinellas Park.
Gualtieri said Rudderham has prior arrests for burglary, carrying a concealed weapon, resisting arrest without violence, DUI, domestic assault with a deadly weapon, improper exhibition of a firearm or dangerous weapon, false imprisonment, criminal mischief, possession of marijuana, disorderly conduct, and domestic battery. His most recent arrest was six years ago and despite his prior arrests, Gualtieri said he did not have prior felony conviction that would have disqualified him from purchasing or possessing a firearm.
Around midnight, Gualtieri said the ex-girlfriend heard Rudderham tapping on her window early Tuesday morning. They began communicating via cell phone with him in the backyard and her inside the home.
The ex-girlfriend said Rudderham was trying to get her to go outside, but she refused because he was making suicidal statements. She described him as "scary calm."
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According to authorities, she asked him if he had a gun on him, and he wouldn’t answer. The ex-girlfriend called her mom because he was refusing to leave, and her mother called the Pinellas Park Police Department. Rudderham’s ex-girlfriend told him that the police were on the way.
When officers arrived, they met the ex-girlfriend at the front door and began to interview her.
Police car and crime scene tape outside officer-involved shooting scene in Pinellas Park.
While she was speaking with officers, Rudderham texted the woman, "I guess it’s popping," which Gualtieri said is slang for things are going to get really bad. Gualtieri said the woman did not reply to the text and didn’t tell officers that information.
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While officers were speaking with the woman at the front door, a corporal was watching Rudderham in the backyard. According to PCSO, Rudderham was pacing back and forth in the backyard with a cell phone in hand and a canned drink in the other hand. The corporal said he did not see firearm at that point.
K9 Officer Cameron Williams arrived on the scene a short while later and joined the other officers out back. Three officers entered the backyard from the west side of the house because they didn’t initially see a gun.
Gualtieri said Officer Williams was the lead officer and yelled Rudderham’s name. That’s when authorities said Rudderham reached down and removed Glock model 19 semi-automatic gun from waistband, racked it, put one round in the chamber and turned toward Officer Williams.
Police car and crime scene tape outside officer-involved shooting scene in Pinellas Park.
At the same time, the corporal saw what was happening from where he was outside the fence and yelled that Rudderham had a gun, the sheriff said.
"Officer Williams, at that point, quite obviously was in fear that Rudderham was going to shoot him," Gualtieri said. "Officer Williams fired five rounds, killing Rudderham," he said.
Rudderham was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. The fatal wound was a shot to the head, according to PCSO.
Gualtieri said Rudderham’s gun had one round in the chamber and 12 rounds in the magazine. The sheriff said Rudderham also had a second magazine with 15 rounds.
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According to Gualtieri, the officer shot Rudderham at 1:03 a.m., which is one minute after he texted his ex-girlfriend, "I guess it’s popping."
"Rudderham had 28 rounds of ammunition, racked his gun and pointed it at Officer Williams when Officer Williams entered the backyard," Gualtieri said.
Police car and crime scene tape outside officer-involved shooting scene in Pinellas Park.
The deadly shooting is under investigation by the Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Task Force, the State Attorney’s Office and the Pinellas Park Police Department.
"This is really textbook. The officers couldn’t handle this any better," the sheriff said.
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"What we all want is for this type of situation to never happen and not to escalate to that point. He was clearly distraught over the situation," Gualtieri said.
Officer Williams has been placed on paid administrative leave per agency policy. Pinellas Park Police Chief Michael Haworth says Officer Williams will also have to be cleared by the department’s mental health team to return to work.