PINELLAS PARK — Detectives assigned to the Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force are investigating an officer-involved shooting involving the Pinellas Park Police Department.
According to investigators, at approximately 11:33 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, officers responded to the area of 6550 Briar Ridge Court North following a report of an armed individual. The caller, who worked with a lawn care company, stated the suspect had threatened him with a rifle.
Detectives said officers attempted to establish communication with the suspect, identified as 39-year-old Ryan Lecompte, but were unsuccessful. Due to the suspect being barricaded inside the residence, the department’s SWAT team was activated.
After several hours of unsuccessful communication attempts, SWAT personnel used an armored vehicle to breach the front door and deployed a drone to assess the situation inside the home. Investigators said the drone observed Lecompte holding a shotgun, which he raised toward officers.
At that time, Corporal Wesley Ducheney, 40, and Officer Ryan Poletz, 32, who were positioned across the street, discharged their firearms, firing a total of four rounds and striking Lecompte.
Lecompte was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. No officers were injured during the incident.
Sheriff Gualtieri stated “We don’t need to wait for him to shoot especially with a guy that came out already three times with an AR15 and directly pointed that AR15 at the victim. He’s the one that created this situation and it is what it is.”
Officers were at the home last Thursday evening for a domestic related altercation.
The investigation remains ongoing.
The Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force was established in 2020 to ensure that investigations involving law enforcement use of deadly force are conducted independently, thoroughly, and objectively.