Pinellas Deputy, St. Pete K9 Shot By Man Who Then Killed Self

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- A St. Petersburg Police K9 and a Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy are recovering Friday after being shot by a man following a routine traffic stop shortly before 2 a.m.

According to St. Petersburg Police, a Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy made a traffic stop in the area of 3rd Avenue South and 26th Street in St. Petersburg. The driver, Elijah Johnson, 23, of St. Petersburg, initially complied but then drove away.

A short time later, Johnson abandoned his car at 2nd Avenue South and 26th Street. A St. Petersburg K9 officer and his dog was called in to track Johnson. When K9 Titan located him, he shot the dog, then fled.

Shortly after, Pinellas County Sheriff's Sgt. David Stang, 51, was in the process of setting up a perimeter at 3rd Avenue South and 27th Street when Johnson encountered him and shot him in the shoulder as he sat in his vehicle, according to the sheriff's office.

"It appeared as though he was caught by surprise," said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

Stang accelerated his cruiser away from the shooting scene where EMS responded and transported him to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. Stang was shot in the shoulder at least twice.

"He lost a considerable amount of blood," said Gualtieri. “Thank goodness that he’s alive. These are always the calls that you dread. It’s the worst-case scenario.”

Titan also underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to the paw. He is in stable condition.

Johnson was found dead from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound near 3rd Avenue South and 26th Street.

Gualtieri said Johnson, who was recently released from prison, has a long criminal history.

"He had an extensive drug history and other crimes," said Gualtieri. "It was an original traffic stop that he escalated. He tried to kill a deputy sheriff and it’s just a bad situation all the way around."

Gualtieri said no officer or deputy fired a weapon during the encounter.

St. Petersburg Police and the Pinellas Sheriff's Forensic Science Division are both investigating the case.