Pinellas Park Officer-Involved Shooting: Sheriff Gualtieri Provides Preliminary Details

Preliminary Incident Overview

• 📌 The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is investigating an officer-involved shooting involving an officer from the Pinellas Park Police Department.
• ⚠️ The incident occurred at a short-term rental property located at 4370 82nd Avenue North.
• 🚨 The investigation is in its early stages, and all information is preliminary and subject to change.

Sequence of Events

• 🗓️ The owner of the short-term rental contacted Pinellas Park Police yesterday due to concerns about the tenant trashing the property.
• ⏰ Officers responded yesterday but found insufficient evidence to ask the tenant to leave.
• 📞 Today, at approximately 11:30 AM, the owner called again, stating the rental period was over and the tenant needed to leave, expressing continued concern about property damage.
• 🔪 Upon arrival, officers were met at the front door by the tenant, who was holding a knife and became confrontational.
• 🚪 The subject then barricaded the front door, leading to a standoff.

Standoff and Intervention

• 🗣️ Officers attempted to communicate with the subject by phone and through the barricaded door, making approximately 40 attempts to de-escalate and persuade him to leave.
• 🛡️ A contact team, equipped with less-lethal bean bag rounds and handguns, and utilizing shields, entered the residence through the garage door.
• 💥 The subject refused commands and advanced on officers, striking Corporal Graham Fox in the upper right shoulder with the knife, causing a minor laceration.
• 🔫 Officer Grayson Ectel McBride then fired several rounds, striking the subject in the upper body and chest area.

Outcome and Ongoing Investigation

• 🏥 The subject was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
• 🔍 The investigation is ongoing, with further interviews and crime scene processing to be conducted.
• 👨‍⚖️ Sheriff Gualtieri emphasized that the officers acted to protect themselves and had a sound tactical plan, but the subject's actions led to the fatal outcome.
• 🩹 Corporal Fox is reported to be fine, with no law enforcement officers injured during the incident.