PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — A domestic dispute escalates to a fatal shooting after authorities say a knife-wielding man charged at officers inside a Port St. Lucie retirement community Friday afternoon.
The Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) said the officer-involved shooting occurred at the Spanish Lakes Golf Village community near the intersection of West Caribbean and Montilla Way around 3:30 p.m.
A family member of the suspect, reported being assaulted by 35-year-old Alexander Taylor, who was wielding a butcher knife. While the victim was on the phone with 911, another neighbor called in, saying they could hear the disturbance, according to PSLPD.
During the calls, the victim revealed that Alexander had made alarming threats about “suicide by cop,” saying he planned to provoke officers into using lethal force and he was “not going to go down without being killed by the police”. Dispatch could hear him yelling in the background.
Police say as officers arrived on the scene, Alexander was pacing between the home and the carport, knife in hand. He spotted the officers and immediately charged toward them, ignoring commands to drop the weapon.
“The officers arrived. They started approaching the house. The male charged out of the house at them, and they ended up having to confront him in the street,” Port St. Lucie Police Chief Leo Niemczyk said during a news conference.
According to police, with no time for alternative actions, the officers fired their weapons, hitting Alexander multiple times in the chest. Despite receiving medical aid at the scene, he was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital.
Police say from the time officers arrived on scene, and were charged by Taylor with the knife, it was approximately one minute.
“These officers didn’t have time to plan anything less lethal whatsoever. They just reacted with what they had to do at the time,” the chief explained.
The officers involved, Dillon Arena and Thomas Risco, both joined PSLPD in 2022, according to PSLPD. Neither was injured during the incident. As per protocol, they’ve been placed on paid administrative leave and were evaluated at St. Lucie Medical Center.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is now leading the investigation, which is standard for officer-involved shootings.
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Source: cbs12
