A Sarasota man is in the hospital after being shot by a Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputy.
The shooting occurred in the parking lot of the Saratoga Place Apartments, located off Central Sarasota Parkway. According to Community Affairs Manager Matt Binkley, the incident began with a 911 call at 8:53 a.m. from an armed man making threats against himself.
“A deputy was dispatched and arrived on scene at 9:05,” Binkley said. “Some verbal exchange was committed, and shots were fired. It’s unknown at this time how many shots were fired, but the victim did receive injuries as a result.”
According to the sheriff’s office, the 911 caller was armed with a kitchen knife when the deputy arrived. The deputy told the man to drop the knife multiple times, but the man refused and instead pointed the knife at the deputy, officials said.
Authorities said the man began advancing toward the deputy with the knife, and the deputy “had no option but to respond with deadly force to protect himself.”
The exchange between the man and the deputy was brief before the shots were fired, according to Brinkley.
“That’s tough for a deputy to endure,” he said. “We do train at our facility for these type of incidents. We hate to see that there was someone injured as a result, but the deputy is OK and he is going through paid administrative leave.”
No other people were involved in the shooting, according to the sheriff’s office.
The suspect was hospitalized for his injuries in critical condition, but he has since been stabilized.
Joe Barretta lives at the complex and had just finished his morning workout when he heard the shots.
“Probably around 9:05 this morning, I left the gym, and I was walking toward the tennis court over here and I heard a couple of gun shots,” Barretta said.
He said it was surprising because he considers the apartment complex a safe place to live.
“I’ve never felt or seen anything remotely close to something like that and so I think everybody is a little bit concerned and confused as to what happened,” Barretta said.
The sheriff’s office has not released the name of the man who was shot or the deputy involved in the shooting.
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Source: wfla
