Largo man shot in Clearwater Beach surf shop has died, suspect arrested, police say

A 22-year-old Largo man has died after he was shot in a surf shop on Clearwater Beach Tuesday night, police said.

The shooting happened just before 8 p.m. on the second floor of the Surf Style shop at 311 S Gulfview Blvd., according to the Clearwater Police Department. Police said Rodney Sweeney was shot after a “physical confrontation” inside the store.

Sweeney was taken to Morton Plant Hospital, where he died, police said in a news release Wednesday morning.

Police named 20-year-old Johnathan Stanley of Clearwater as the suspect in an updated news release Wednesday night and said an arrest warrant had been issued for him on a second-degree murder charge.

The department later announced Stanley was taken into custody at Clearwater Mall. Records show he was being held Thursday in the Pinellas County Jail with bond set at $750,000.

“Many of our detectives and officers are working non-stop to find the killer and hold him accountable,” Clearwater police Chief Daniel Slaughter said in a statement released Wednesday. “Detectives have interviewed dozens of witnesses and leveraged the technology investments made to ensure people who commit senseless violence are captured and prosecuted.”

Police asked anyone who has information on the shooting to call 727-562-4242.

Clearwater police will have an increased presence on Clearwater Beach as spring break continues this week, the agency said.

“We want everyone to feel safe when they come to the beach, or anywhere in Clearwater,” Slaughter said. “While violent crime is lower in Clearwater than other places, unfortunately it is not completely immune to the increase in violent crime being seen across the country.”

The shooting was the second incident involving gunfire in that area of Clearwater Beach in recent days.

Shortly after 8 p.m. on Sunday in the 300 block of South Gulfview Boulevard — the same block as the Surf Style store — a group of juveniles was involved in a fight when someone pulled out a gun and fired a shot into the ground, according to police spokesperson Rob Shaw. No one was injured.

That incident remained under investigation Wednesday, and investigators do not believe it was related to Tuesday’s shooting at Surf Style, Shaw said.