Detectives Identify Man Shot & Killed During Traffic Stop

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office has released the name of a man who was shot and killed by deputies Tuesday morning on Alderman Rd. 

Investigators say 73 year-old Edward Warren DiGrandi of Powell, Ohio was shot after he pointed a 38 caliber gun at three deputies during a traffic stop around 7 a.m. Tuesday. It happened on Alderman Rd, just east of Belcher Rd. DiGrandi died at the scene.

Deputies had been searching for DiGrandi after responding to a 911 call at 6:52 a.m. at the home of his ex-wife, 67 year-old Mary Susan Marino, who lives on Sumner Way in Palm Harbor.

Investigators say Marino heard her dog barking and saw a shadow in the window. She opened the door and DiGrandi pushed his way inside the home. Detectives say Marino saw that DiGrandi had a gun and she knocked it out of his hand, then ran to a neighbor's home to call 911. DiGrandi then went to the neighbor's house, knocked on the door, and left when no one answered. 

Deputies got a description of DiGrandi's vehicle, along with the license plate number and starting searching for him. They believed DiGrandi was on his way to his daughter's home in Dunedin.

Deputies saw DiGrandi's car a short time later and pulled him over on Alderman Road. According to the sheriff's office, DiGrandi got out of his car with the gun pointed at his chest, as if he was going to shoot himself.

Deputies ordered him to drop the gun several times, but DiGrandi suddenly turned the gun on the deputies, and the deputies opened fire.

"It's a very scary situation; it's obviously a very threatening situation for the deputies, to be less than 10 feet from somebody and have them point a gun at you," said Bob Gualtieri who is the Chief Deputy at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Detectives say that DiGrandi recently drove to the area from Ohio. Before leaving, DiGrandi told his son that he was going to Pinellas County to discuss his and Marino's divorce and money issues.  Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson, Marianne Pasha says Tuesday's incident was the only time deputies have responded to a 911 call from Marino's home.

Gualtieri said the sheriff's office would continue to investigate the shooting. The three deputies involved in the incident will be interviewed and placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in this type of situation. 

All of the deputies have worked for the sheriff's office for at least ten years. They are-

• Deputy Jeff Crandell, age 53, hired in 1983
• Deputy Robert Wojciechowski, age 45, hired in 1986
• Deputy Kris Fratus, age 42, hired in 2000

Throughout the morning, residents who live in subdivisions along Alderman Rd. stood near the crime-scene tape with binoculars and cameras, watching deputies conduct the investigation.

Alek Goldbronn, 14, and a friend realized there was something going on when they heard helicopters.

"We saw there were helicopters and thought it had to be somewhere around here, and then we heard how the road was blocked," he said.

Goldbronn said he grabbed his binoculars and hopped on his scooter to see what was going on. 

The teen pointed at the crime scene, then squinted as he peered into his binoculars, "There's a gun on the ground over there by the officer's car," he said.

A stretch of Alderman Road east of Belcher Road was closed because of the shooting. The road reopened shortly after noon.