The Brief

Officers responded to a call about an attempted suicide Sunday morning.

The St. Petersburg Police Department said the shooting occurred after deploying several taser rounds.

SPPD said the Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Task Force has been activated to investigate the incident.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The St. Petersburg Police Department is investigating an officer involved shooting that occurred Sunday morning on Pershing Street Northeast that resulted in the death of one person.

St. Pete officer involved shooting

What we know

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, a call came in before 11:20 a.m. on Sunday about an attempted suicide inside a home.

Based on preliminary information, deputies say two brothers were in the residence at the time when 37-year-old Kasey Sedlock was found with a knife.

PCSO said the brother was able to disarm him before law enforcement arrived, and put the knife inside a car.

But, when officers with the St. Pete Police Department arrived, they found Kasey inside the home with the knife.

He then began shouting at the cops to shoot him.

Deputies say officers deployed a taser to disarm him. He fell to the floor and dropped the knife.

But, Sedlock continued to try and reach for the knife, in which officers fired off their taser again. PCSO said Sedlock continued to tell officers to shoot him.

PCSO said Sedlock then grabbed the knife again, got up and started coming towards the officers. At that point, one officer shot him four times.

Sedlock was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:18 p.m.

One officer was transported to the hospital due to blood exposure, but no injuries were reported.

What we don’t know

PCSO had not released the name of the shooting officer, due to a new law starting on Wednesday, July 1st that prohibits law enforcement from releasing an officer’s name in the first 72 hours of a shooting investigation. That officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.

This is still an ongoing investigation. Updates will be released as they become available.

What’s next

If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

The Source

This article was written using information from St. Petersburg Police Department and a press conference from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.