St. Pete officer justified in fatally shooting man armed with mother's handgun, state attorney rules

A St. Petersburg police officer was justified in a September shooting that killed a man who refused to drop a weapon, according to a review by the State Attorney's Office.

State Attorney Bruce Barlett sent a letter to Chief Anthony Holloway Monday, stating that the officer "was in the lawful performance of his legal duties while he was attempting to apprehend Cody Kiley. Cody Kiley's actions of pushing the firearm into his mother's head, and discharging the firearm inside the residence" led the officer to believe Kiley posed a threat.

Therefore, the state attorney concluded it was "justifiable homicide."

The deadly officer-involved shooting occurred just after 3 a.m. on Sept. 12 at to 4533 20th Avenue North. Chief Deputy Paul Halle of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, said the mother, 53-year-old Jill Kiley, called 911, saying her son, 31-year-old Cody, got her handgun and was threatening her.

PREVIOUS: St. Pete man shot, killed by officer after arming himself with mother's handgun, officials say

Jill and her 4-year-old granddaughter, who is Cody's daughter, "retreated to a back bathroom and continued to provide updates to the St. Pete Police Department," Halle explained.

He said officers arrived within five minutes and tried to approach the home. At one point, Cody ended up in the backyard, where "officers heard him and moved back there."

They made contact with him, Halle described. One of the officers, Stephen York, was K9 Loki's handler. The officer moved to the front and released Loki.

"Officer released Loki, Loki engaged with Cody and Cody still did not drop the handgun," Halle said during a press conference following the shooting. "At some point, the officer pulled the dog off of Cody. Cody was still threatening with the firearm and Officer York fired a number of shots and Cody is now deceased in the backyard."

In the investigation that followed, the state attorney found that Kiley refused to drop the weapon and turned toward the officers before he was shot.

According to St. Pete Police Chief Anthony Holloway, the officer who pulled the trigger has been with the agency since 2017.