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Port Richey man hospitalized when deputies shoot him following dispute

 
Published July 7, 2015

PORT RICHEY — Pasco County sheriff's deputies responding to a neighborhood dispute about animals Monday night shot a man who pointed a rifle at them, Sheriff Chris Nocco said.

"Ultimately, it ended up where someone who we know had an irrational past pointed a weapon at law enforcement, and it's not going to be tolerated in Pasco County," Nocco said.

The sheriff said Frank Rogers, 56, had a contentious history with a neighbor whose many cats often roamed his yard.

About 8:13 p.m. Monday, Rogers started banging on the neighbor's door. The neighbor called authorities and reported a dispute, Nocco said. Rogers entered her home, and the woman left the house, he said.

Three deputies soon arrived and found Rogers holding a rifle, Nocco said. Despite their instructions, Rogers lifted the rifle, and the deputies then shot him several times, Nocco said.

Rogers' injuries and status were still unclear late Monday.

"There's a number of counts that he's going to be looking at if he's able to pull through this," Nocco said, including attempted homicide on law enforcement and home invasion.

The three deputies are now on administrative leave. They were not injured.

Nocco said mental health may be a factor in the incident.

"He could have fired a round, he could have missed," Nocco said. "There were kids walking around in the street."

Nocco said Rogers would often argue with his neighbor about her cats, saying they were threatening his pet birds. He would at times hold her cats captive, Nocco said.

Before approaching the woman's house at 10305 Hickery Hill Drive, Rogers apparently told a witness he planned to shoot the woman, Nocco said.

The sheriff said the address was well known to law enforcement, with "sheets and sheets and sheets" of service calls there — more than 40 in all — often involving the cats.

Paul Thompson, 53, who lives across the street, said he saw about seven sheriff's cars, one fire truck and one ambulance arrive. Deputies surrounded the suspect, he said. He said he heard a deputy tell the suspect to stay down and not move.

About 6:45 p.m., he heard four or five shots fired, he said.

Todd Emerick, 44, who lives three houses away, said he heard about eight shots fired. A video he took shows the suspect being taken on a gurney down a driveway and into an ambulance.

Times staff writer Claire McNeill contributed to this report.