Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Seeking aid, man turns on police

He is wounded when he charges at the responding St. Pete Beach officer.

By GRAHAM BRINK
Published April 8, 2006

ST. PETE BEACH - A call about lost property turned into a police shooting Friday afternoon.

St. Pete Beach police officer Scott Detweiller responded to the Dolphin Village shopping center in the 4600 block of Gulf Boulevard about 4:30 p.m. after Jerome Henderson called to report some lost money.

Detweiller met with Henderson in the parking lot behind Bennigan's and in front of the Publix supermarket. Following procedure, Detweiller ran Henderson for outstanding warrants.

The check revealed that Henderson, 36, was wanted on several traffic warrants, according to St. Pete Beach police. When Detweiller confronted Henderson about the warrants, Henderson pulled out a knife and threateneded to hurt himself, said police spokeswoman Natalie Strong.

"The officer tried to calm the man down, but he was not successful," Strong said.

Henderson soon charged at the officer, who fired once, hitting Henderson in the left leg, police said. Henderson, taken to Bayfront Medical Center, was expected to recover.

Henderson was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest without violence.

Henderson has a lengthy criminal record, including battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated battery and resisting arrest with violence, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.

Detweiller, 37, has been a police officer for 11 years, two years with the St. Pete Beach. He will be on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the incident, standard procedure.

[Last modified April 8, 2006, 06:51:43]