Officers Involved In Fatal Shooting Identified

TAMPA, FL — A 45-minute standoff between Tampa Police and a man involved in a domestic disturbance Thursday morning ended in a fatal shooting.

According to police, officers were dispatched to 3312 Cherokee Ave. at 1:10 a.m. March 17 in regard to a domestic dispute. The first officers arrived on the scene at 1:23 a.m. and spoke with a man “who was uncooperative and armed with a firearm, which he pointed at officers,” an email from the agency said.

The man retreated back into the house and backup was called in, the email said.

For about 45 minutes, police used a PA to speak with the man, who told them they’d have to come inside to get him, the department said. The man, however, eventually stepped out onto his carport “with a firearm tucked into a towel around his waist.”

At that point, police officers approached the man while carrying a shield, “calling out to the man to keep his hands visible and not to fire upon the officers.”

The man, police said, reached behind for his gun and fired one shot that hit the shield near its center.

“The officers returned fire, killing the man in the carport area,” the email said. The shooting happened around 2:53 a.m.

The man has been identified as Sunny Chin, 53.

Police say a woman inside the home had scrapes and bruises, but no serious injuries. No officers were injured.

The police department has identified the officers involved in the shooting as:

• Cpl. Sean Stuart, a 17-year TPD veteran
• Cpl. Stephen Drabiniak, an 11-year TPD veteran
• Officer John Simpkings, a 7 1/2-year TPD veteran

The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the fatal shooting.

No further details are available at this time.

Photos of the damaged shield courtesy of the Tampa Police Department

Sign up for the Tampa Patch newsletter and alerts!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, too!