Crime & Safety

UPDATE: St. Pete Officers ID'd in Deadly Shooting of Suspect

Two St. Petersburg Police officers opened fire on the man after he allegedly fired at them. No police were injured.

Update:

St. Petersburg Police on Wednesday released the names of two officers involved in a man's shooting death.

They are:

  • Officer Brian Burton, 29; became a sworn police officer on June 5, 2006.
  • Officer Joseph Heer, 28; became a sworn police officer on March 28, 2005
Both police officers are assigned to the Department's Street Crimes Unit.

Police said they did not plan to release any more details about the shooting death of 39-year-old Carlos Crompton until investigations by the department and the State Attorney's Office were completed.

Earlier:

Two officers shot and killed a shooting suspect Tuesday night, after he allegedly fired at them as they tried to make an arrest, according to St. Petersburg Police.

Police identified the man as 39-year-old Carlos Crompton, the suspect in an earlier shooting Tuesday at an apartment complex, where a gunshot victim suffered life-threatening injuries.

According to a statement from the St. Petersburg Police, officers had fired at Compton after he discharged a round at police outside a south St. Petersburg home.

Police originally had been called to the Dover Apartments, 3545 30th Ave. N., at about 8:40 p.m. Tuesday. Officers responded to multiple calls of "shots fired in the area" and a "person shot."

Officers and Fire Rescue found a woman in her 20s with multiple gunshot wounds inside one of the apartments. The female victim was transported as a "trauma alert" to a local hospital and is currently in surgery, Proffitt said. The woman's injuries are life threatening.

According to police, officers on the scene identified Crompton as the suspect in the shooting and learned he had left the scene in a black vehicle prior to the arrival of police.

Bill Proffitt, police spokesman, said 40 minutes after allegedly shooting his former girlfriend, police found Crompton's black Chevrolet parked in front of his relative's home, at 4240 14th Ave. S.

Police said they saw Crompton walking on the front lawn of the home and alerted other units.

Officers walked up to Crompton, identified themselves and confronted him, as he stood in the front yard near his vehicle, Proffitt said.

According to Proffitt, Crompton went into his car and came out with a black .38 Special revolver and fired one round at police officers who were in the front yard. Two of those police officers returned fire, striking Crompton.

Crompton was transported to Bayfront Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 10:02 p.m., police said.

[This article was update at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.]

Original Post, 10:30 p.m., Tuesday:


An alleged shooting suspect was shot by a St. Petersburg police officer late Tuesday night, after the suspect fired at the officer, according to Bill Proffitt, police spokesman.

At about 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, officers responded to multiple calls of "shots fired in the area" and a "person shot" in the area of the Dover Apartments, 3545 30th Ave. N.

Proffitt said that the scene of the initial shootings was inside one of the apartments. Officers and Fire Rescue arrived on the scene and found a woman in her 20s with multiple gunshot wounds.

The female victim was transported as a "trauma alert" to a local hospital and is currently in surgery, Proffitt said. The woman's injuries are life threatening.

According to police, officers on the scene identified the suspect in the shooting and learned he had left the scene in a black vehicle prior to the arrival of police.

Proffitt said that officers drove to the suspect's residence in the 4200 block of 14th Avenue South and encountered the suspect, "who was armed with a handgun, standing outside of his vehicle parked in front of a home at that location."

As the officers approached the suspect, Proffitt said the suspect fired one round at a street crimes unit officer.

The uninjured officer returned fire.

The suspect sustained a life-threatening gunshot wound and has been transported to a local hospital, according to police.

No police officers were injured in the shooting.





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