TAMPA, Fla.- A 19-year-old Tampa man was killed in a firefight after reportedly killing both of his parents and injuring a deputy during an overnight standoff, according to Florida officials.
Shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday, deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a Tampa house after a woman called to report that her husband had been shot.
While she was on the phone, the dispatcher heard five more gunshots.
Deputies discovered the alleged shooter, 19-year-old Christos Alexander, and his mother outside the home. According to the sheriff’s office, the suspect shot his mother in the back of the head before firing his revolver at law enforcement officials, injuring 26-year-old Deputy Shane McGough.
Five deputies fired fire on the suspect, striking Alexander and putting him down. He eventually slid back into the house and barricaded himself, according to Sheriff Chad Chronister.
The HCSO SWAT squad, crisis negotiators, and a robot came on the scene to assist with entry into the home. Deputies utilized their robot to enter the house via the front door.
“Unfortunately, the first person we encounter on the ground is the father,” stated the sheriff. “The father had succumbed to his injuries.”
The SWAT team then entered the house and discovered Alexander dead from his injuries in another room.
“The monster we encountered this evening isn’t just responsible for injuring our deputy, he’s also the subject who killed his own mother and father,” Chronister stated following the event.
McGough was hospitalized at St. Joseph’s Hospital and is expected to recover, according to officials. He was scheduled to have surgery to remove the bullet from his leg on Sunday morning.
“[The] deputies do a great job,” the sheriff said. “Their training kicks in. They begin offering aid. They remove the deputy from the risky position and location where he was exchanging gunfire, get him out of the bad guy’s line of sight, and immediately begin lifesaving procedures by tying a tourniquet to his leg so he does not bleed out.”
According to Chronister, Alexander lived with his parents. Deputies were summoned to the home ten times before to the fatal shot, primarily for mental health services and violence against his parents.
According to the newsnationnow.com, Alexander was also subject to an active risk protection order, which resulted in deputies taking his guns. Investigators are seeking to determine how he obtained the pistol used on Saturday.
“How did this mentally ill subject have access to any type of firearms when we took his firearms,” asked the sheriff. “They are in our custody. How did he get access to any form of guns to be able to do such carnage this evening?”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently investigating the event. Authorities said none of the deputies involved used fatal force before Saturday night.
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