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Police: St. Petersburg officer shot, suspect killed during gunfire exchange in two locations

 
A shooting reported at Coffee Pot Boulevard and 19th Avenue N led police to search for Austin Goodner, 18, at his parents’ house.
A shooting reported at Coffee Pot Boulevard and 19th Avenue N led police to search for Austin Goodner, 18, at his parents’ house.
Published May 18, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG — The officers approached the home near the cemetery with a tip, looking for a suspect in a shooting earlier on Sunday.

Police say they talked to the parents of 18-year-old Austin Goodner, who said their son wasn't home.

But outside, an officer rounded a corner in the yard, where Goodner was waiting to ambush police with a handgun, authorities say. The teenager shot the officer, a 10-year veteran of the force, in the leg. The other officers rushed over and, after an exchange of fire, shot Goodner dead.

St. Petersburg police late Sunday were still piecing together the events of the officer-involved shooting, the first under Chief Tony Holloway.

"We lost three of our family members a couple of years ago, so this is really a lot of pressure on us tonight," Holloway said near the home about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, where rain had fallen and officers searched for shell casings in the night.

"There's a lot of officers who are recalling what happened, so we're trying to make sure we take care of everybody right now."

The 40-year-old officer who was shot was recovering at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, police said. Police did not yet name him but said he is "doing quite well."

They said it's not yet clear whose shots killed the suspect, as multiple officers appear to have fired their guns.

The department and the state attorney's office will now investigate the use of deadly force.

Earlier in the day, about 6 p.m., officers got a call about shots fired along Coffee Pot Bayou. Goodner shot another man, who was taken to the hospital, police said. The cause of that shooting was unknown Sunday, but police said an argument preceded it.

An investigation led to the home near Northeast High School, about 4 miles from the initial shooting. About five or six — perhaps more — officers arrived at 5236 Robin Lane N. Shortly after police arrived, at 6:46 p.m., Goodner was shot in the upper body. He was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said.

According to a criminal record, Goodner was arrested in 2012 on an accusation of felony domestic battery. The charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, and adjudication was withheld.

Holloway said the department does not know whether Goodner's parents knew he was outside.

"He was in the yard, so maybe he didn't come in the house, and that's what we're trying to figure out right now," he said.

Martha Loyd, 52, lives in the waterfront neighborhood where the first shooting occurred. She said she was weeding in her front yard Sunday evening when she saw two young men ride by on bicycles.

"There were a few words exchanged, not loud, not particularly aggressive or anything," Loyd said.

But when she looked up, she heard a noise and saw a flame come out of what she quickly realized was a gun. The man who was shot, she said, "sort of collapsed onto the sidewalk."

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"And I hollered over, 'Are you all right?' And he said, 'That man shot me,' " Loyd said.

Other bystanders arrived, she said, and tended to the man. She said she thought he was shot in the arm.

They called 911, she said, and she went into her house.

Hours later, police were still blocking the intersection of Coffee Pot Boulevard and 19th Avenue NE. Inside the police tape, a black bike lay on its side, about 50 feet away from a small case of beer.

After the shootings, Holloway invoked the last time a St. Petersburg officer died in the line of duty. Three officers were shot and killed within a month in 2011.

On Jan. 24, 2011, Sgt. Thomas Baitinger and Officer Jeffrey A. Yaslowitz were executing an arrest warrant for fugitive suspect Hydra Lacy Jr. when they were shot and killed in a confrontation. Lacy was holed up in the attic of the house. He was also killed.

One month later, on Feb. 22, Officer David Crawford was shot and killed after responding to a report of a suspicious person walking through the caller's back yard with a broken brick in his hand. While canvassing the area, Officer Crawford was shot by 16-year-old Nicholas Lindsey, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2013.

In December, Tarpon Springs police Officer Charles Kondek was shot and killed while responding to a noise complaint.

Gov. Rick Scott called Chief Holloway late Sunday, police said, to ask about the injured officer's condition.

As rain darkened the pavement and night fell, the search for shell casings and other evidence became more difficult. Police cars lined 54th Avenue N, casting their lights on Sunnyside Cemetery across from Goodner's home. Police were using a fire truck to light up the shooting scene so they could work through the night.

Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Contact Claire McNeill at cmcneill@tampabay.com. Contact Zachary T. Sampson at zsampson@tampabay.com.

EDITOR'S NOTE

This story has been updated to reflect the following correction: Sunnyside Cemetery is located off 54th Avenue North, near the scene of Sunday's shooting. A story listed an incorrect name for the cemetery.

How it happened

6 p.m., Coffee Pot Bayou: St. Petersburg police receive a report of a person shot near the waterfront. Spokeswoman Yolanda Fernandez said officers responded within minutes.

6:46 p.m, Robin Lane N: Officers arrive at Robin Lane N, following up on a tip about the whereabouts of a suspect in the shooting near Coffee Pot Bayou. Minutes later, Fernandez said, the suspect, Austin Goodner, and officers exchange gunfire.