Pinellas sheriff: 65-year-old man goes on shooting rampage, is wounded by deputy

LEALMAN — A 65-year-old man who was served with eviction papers on Tuesday morning went on a shooting rampage hours later, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Larry Dennis Hoad, 65, shot and wounded a resident in his triplex, then fired gunshots at another neighbor and a painter, the Sheriff's Office said.

When Sgt. Matthew McLane responded to the report of shots fired, the agency said, Hoad fired at him, too.

The sergeant returned fire, wounding Hoad.

"This was a dangerous situation," said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

A deputy served Hoad with eviction papers at 9:30 a.m. , according to the Sheriff's Office. The eviction was deemed peaceful but deputies were called back when gunshots were reported at 12:50 p.m.

Joseph Parazs, 50, who works at St. Pete Motorbikes on the corner of 49th Street and 46th Avenue N said his co-worker heard about seven or eight shots fired, and within minutes authorities were there.

Forrest Maynard, who works at Maynard Electric a few doors down, had returned from lunch when he saw police cars arriving and sealing off the area.

The Sheriff's Office said Hoad had shot and wounded a neighbor in the triplex at 4809 46th Ave. N.

Then he walked down the street and fired about five shots at a neighbor's house at 4813 46th Ave. N. No one was hurt.

He walked down 47th Way and fired at a painter in an alleyway. The painter was not hit.

When McLane arrived at the scene, the sergeant saw Hoad walking the street with a 9mm handgun and a hunting rifle, the Sheriff's Office said.

McLane ordered Hoad to drop his weapons, deputies said. Hoad fired twice at the deputy with the handgun, and the gunshots struck the officer's vehicle.

The sergeant fired back, the Sheriff's Office said, hitting Hoad in the stomach.

Hoad was taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, where he was reported to be in surgery late Tuesday afternoon. Deputies believe he fired at least seven gunshots in total.

Hoad was arrested several times in the 1990s, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement records. His only conviction was for a misdemeanor disorder charge for brawling.

The Sheriff's Office did not identify the neighbor whom Hoad wounded or that person's condition. That resident also was taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg.

Times senior researcher John Martin and staff writer Sara DiNatale contributed to this report. Contact Divya Kumar at dkumar@tampabay.com. Follow @divyadivyadivya.