Suspect in Shooting of St. Pete Officer Killed by Return Fire

A St. Petersburg Police officer responding to a call about a person shot ended up getting shot himself Sunday evening. That shooter, however, was met with return fire and has since died.

While details in the incident are still fluid, the police department said in an email to media the officer who was injured was responding to a shooting call in the Coffee Pot Bayou area around 6 p.m. Sunday. The officer and others reported to a home at 5236 Robin Lane after being told the suspect in the shooting could be found there, police said.

Police were told their suspect, 18-year-old Austin Lee Goodner, wasn’t at home, but they began to search the property anyway. That’s when Goodner, who was hiding in the yard, is accused of shooting at officers, striking one in the leg around 6:45 p.m. Officers on the scene returned fire, police said, wounding Goodner in the upper body.

While the 40-year-old officer is expected to recover, Goodner died at a local hospital following the shooting.

Police have not released the name of the officer or the original shooting victim.

Further details in the incident are not yet available and the investigation continues.

Stay with Patch for updates.

Image via Shutterstock

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10:08 p.m. May 17 with the latest information from the St. Petersburg Police Department.

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