A 19-year-old man was killed in a shootout after killing both of his parents and injuring a deputy in an overnight standoff in Tampa, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
A woman initially called for help, saying her husband had been shot, NBC affiliate WFLA reported. However, while the caller was on the phone with the dispatcher, several more shots were reportedly heard on the phone.
Deputies later arrived at the scene, where they found Christos Alexander, 19, and his mother outside the home.
The sheriff’s office said the suspect then shot his mother in the back of the head and fired his gun at the law enforcement officers, injuring Deputy Shane McGough, 26.
Five deputies returned fire, hitting Alexander and knocking him to the ground, WFLA reported. However, he then crawled back to the home and barricaded himself inside, HCSO confirmed.
The HCSO SWAT team, crisis negotiators, and a robot arrived on scene to help enter the home, according to Sheriff Chad Chronister. Deputies used their robot to enter the home through the front door.
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“Unfortunately, the first person we encounter on the ground is the father,” Chronister said. “The father had succumbed to his injuries.”
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The SWAT Team then reportedly entered the home, where they discovered Alexander dead from his injuries in another room.
Deputies were called to the home 10 times before the deadly shooting, according to Chronister, mostly for mental health service and violence against his parents.
The sheriff said there was also an active risk protection order against Alexander that led to deputies seizing his guns. Investigators are working to find out how he obtained the gun used to kill his parents, WFLA stated.
Deputy McGough, who was injured in the shootout, was in good spirits and with family, Chronister said in a social media update.
