The Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force is investigating an officer-involved shooting in St. Petersburg that left a 37-year-old man dead.
On June 28 at 11:31 a.m., St. Petersburg Police Department officers responded to a call about a suicidal subject in the area of 121 Pershing St. Northeast, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO).
When officers arrived, Kasey Sedlock was in a hallway of the home holding a knife and saying “shoot me,” PCSO said.
Detectives said officers attempted to de-escalate the situation and used a Taser twice, but the attempts were unsuccessful. According to PCSO, Sedlock lost control of the knife after being tased but was able to regain control of it.
PCSO said Sedlock then began getting up from the ground and moved toward officers with the knife. At that point, officers fired four rounds, striking Sedlock.
Sedlock was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead at 12:18 p.m.
One officer was taken to the hospital because of blood exposure. No other injuries were reported.
The officer who fired the shots has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure during an officer-involved shooting investigation.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway held a press conference June 28 to discuss the incident.
During the conference, Gualtieri said Sedlock’s brother called law enforcement about his brother’s behavior.
Gualtieri said the officer believed he and other officers were in immediate danger when Sedlock approached them with the knife.
Under the newly expanded Marsy’s Law, which takes effect July 1, PCSO said the agency is prohibited from releasing the officer’s name until 72 hours after the incident.
Gualtieri said detectives will continue interviewing witnesses and reviewing body-worn camera footage.
“When somebody has been tased and said, ‘shoot me, shoot me,’ and they have a knife and they’re coming up off the ground and within striking distance with a 4-inch serrated blade knife, the officer did what he had to do from everything that appears right now,” Gualtieri said. “You got to make decisions, and what we want is for the cops to go home safe and the person who’s engaged in this to be as safe as they can be. It’s a very sad situation.”
The investigation remains ongoing. More information will be released as it becomes available.