Officer Kills Man Armed With Knife At St. Pete Home: Sheriff

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A man armed with a knife was fatally shot Sunday in his home by a St. Petersburg police officer, according to the Pinellas County sheriff.

Sheriff Bob Gaultieri identified the deceased as Kasey Sedlock during a news conference streamed on Facebook by WFLA. County court records indicate that Sedlock was 37.

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“This is a sad situation where somebody has obvious mental health issues and a long history of drug abuse,” the sheriff said at the news conference. “… The officer did what he had to do from everything that appears right now.”

Police were called around 11:20 a.m. to the home in the 100 block of Pershing Street Northeast by a family member because Sedlock was attempting suicide and acting erratically, according to Gaultieri, who said the relative had taken a knife from Sedlock.

Officers entered the house and saw Sedlock at the end of a hall with a 4-inch serrated knife in his hand, the sheriff said. Sedlock was saying “shoot me, shoot me,” according to Gaultieri. Officers deployed Tasers and Sedlock fell to the ground with the knife beside him, but he was able to grab it and, as he was getting up and trying to move toward the officers, an officer fired four times, striking Sedlock, the sheriff said.

Sedlock was taken to HCA Florida Northside Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 12:20 p.m., according to Gaultieri.

The sheriff’s office is investigating the incident, Gaultieri said, noting his agency is prohibited from releasing the name of the officer who shot Sedlock for 72 hours.