Sheriff's office: Man dies after being shot by deputies

CRYSTAL SPRINGS (FOX 13) - A man shot by Pasco County sheriff's deputies died on the way to the hospital, the sheriff's office said Thursday night.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office says deputies were forced to shoot Stephen Steele, 56, who charged at them with a knife.

It started when deputies went to 38339 Higginson Road in Crystal Springs at 7:47 p.m. for a domestic disturbance. The caller said her son had assaulted his girlfriend.

The deputies say when they got there, Steele ran to a trailer behind the house at the address. He barricaded himself inside the trailer and threatened suicide. He told deputies he had a knife and was cutting himself.

Deputies convinced Steele to let them into the trailer. They tried to calm him down, but he was inconsolable. He charged at them, forcing the deputies to fire their weapons.

Steele was hit and was taken to the hospital, but he died on the way. The Sheriff’s Office said Steele has a violent criminal history in and out of Florida. There have been two calls for service at the Crystal Springs location for grand theft and threats without violence -- both specifically regarding Steele.