Tampa officer shoots and kills armed suspect during foot chase, police say

TAMPA — A Tampa police officer shot and killed a suspect who pointed a gun at him during a foot chase Sunday night, police said.

The shooting occurred as police answered a call about 10:15 p.m. about a fight involving an armed individual at 3745 N 50th St., police Chief Brian Dugan said at a news conference Sunday.

Police were still notifying next of kin about the death and did not identify the victim. The officer involved is 33, has been with the Police Department for two years and has prior law enforcement experience, Dugan said. He did not identify the officer. The officer was not injured and has been placed on leave.

Dugan said police will release body-worn camera video from the scene. Asked what it will show, the chief said, “We’re going to be able to see the suspect turn, point a firearm and walk toward the officer.”

The suspect later died at a hospital.

Officers arrived at the scene, a warehouse area near 50th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, about five minutes after receiving the call about the fight, Dugan said. They ”identified the suspect,” he fled on foot and the officer chased him, determining that the suspect was armed, Dugan said.

Seconds later, according to a police news release, the officer called out “shots fired” over his radio.

Police were still investigating whether the suspect fired his weapon, Dugan said.

The shooting occurred on Temple Street behind a gas station.

Police are interviewing witnesses and did not know immediately what was behind the fight, Dugan said.

The Florida Department of Law enforcement will investigate the shooting, Dugan said. Mayor Jane Castor announced last June that the outside agency would take over police shooting investigations as part of a series of police reforms instituted in the wake of the national reckoning over race that followed the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a Minneapolis police officer.

This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.