Knife-wielding man shot by Pasco deputies minutes after trying to break into gun store: PCSO
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - A man armed with a knife was shot by Pasco County deputies on Friday after he charged at them, according to the sheriff's office.
It happened along the southbound side of Little Rd., blocking traffic for hours between Citizens Dr. and Massachusetts Ave., east of New Port Richey, PCSO said.
At a news conference Friday afternoon, Sheriff Chris Nocco said deputies responded after getting a call about a man using a metal sign to try to break into a gun store off Little Rd. around 8:15 on Friday morning.
Surveillance video provided by the store's owner shows the attempted break-in.
Surveillance video shows attempted gun store break-in prior to deputy-involved shooting
Surveillance video provided by a Pasco County gun store owner shows the moment a man tried breaking into the store on Friday morning, using a metal sign. He was shot by deputies minutes later. (Courtesy: AJ's Sporting Goods)
Deputies found the man, later identified as Scott Youmans, 38, along the road and asked him to drop the knife while offering him help, but he refused, Nocco said.
Youmans then charged at the deputies, who shot and tased him, according to Nocco.
"I want to give our deputies a lot of credit. They were doing everything in their power to deescalate the situation," Nocco said about the moments prior to the shooting.
A deputy-involved shooting blocked traffic on Little Rd. east of New Port Richey for hours on Friday.
Youmans was seriously injured and rushed to the hospital, where he was in surgery as of Friday afternoon.
Nocco gave the deputies credit for quickly rendering aid at the scene.
"We will render aid. We will do everything that we can," Nocco said. "Because our job is to stop the subject, and that's what they did today. They stopped him from harming somebody else out there."
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco speaks at a news conference about a deputy-involved shooting on Dec. 13, 2024.
Nocco also said Youmans has an extensive history of mental health issues and even thanked deputies after they shot and tased him.
"There is a clear line that connects mental health and violence. What the subject did today was tie that knot extremely close together," Nocco said.
Youmans will face charges including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and attempted burglary, according to Nocco.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting, which is standard procedure.
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