At approximately 6:45 a.m. Friday, Pinellas County deputies responded to a reported home invasion at 1052 Candler Road in unincorporated Clearwater. The homeowner stated an armed male forced entry into her residence. She escaped safely, while the suspect barricaded himself inside.
Deputies responded to a residence after receiving reports of an armed intruder inside the home armed with a knife. Investigators say the suspect entered the residence through a partially open garage door and assaulted a 62-year-old woman inside the home.
According to investigators, the woman fought to free herself before escaping to a neighbor’s residence, where she called 911.
Responding deputies established a perimeter around the home after learning the suspect remained barricaded inside. Authorities said the suspect closed the garage door and refused repeated commands from deputies to exit the residence.
After approximately an hour, deputies breached a sliding glass door and deployed a drone inside the home to assess the situation before beginning a room-by-room search of the residence. Deputies continued issuing commands for the suspect to surrender as they cleared the home.
When deputies reached the garage area, investigators say they encountered the suspect armed with a firearm. Authorities said the suspect raised the gun in a threatening manner while shouting expletives at deputies.
Fearing for their lives, two deputies opened fire, striking the suspect. The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Adam Charles Siauciunas, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
“The victim of the armed home invasion and the two deputies are extremely fortunate they were not seriously injured or killed,” Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy said.
Neither deputy was injured during the incident.
The deputies involved have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure following a deputy-involved shooting. The deputies were identified as John Drish, who has been with the agency since May 2018, and Anthony Darnell, who has served with the sheriff’s office since January 2023.
The investigation remains active.