Officers from the Largo Police Department responded to multiple reports of a person shot at approximately 9:53 p.m on Thursday, May 30, 2019.
The incident occurred in the area of Northwest Park in the 600 block of 16th Street NW in Largo.
According to detectives, a 21-year-old motorcyclist was riding home southbound on 16th St NW when he was confronted by an angry, intoxicated man in the street who was waving his arms and yelling at the motorcyclist.
Because the motorcyclist was wearing a full-faced helmet, he said he could not hear what the man, who is in his 40’s, was saying.
The motorcyclist turned around to talk to the man, who was much taller and larger than the motorcyclist. The man became aggressive and punched the motorcyclist through the open visor of the motorcyclist’s helmet, leaving a contusion on his face.
The motorcyclist fell over and was briefly trapped under his motorcycle. The man came around the motorcycle and the motorcyclist thought he would be attacked again.
The motorcyclist got up and began backing away on foot from the man. The motorcyclist warned the man that he had a gun and a CCW permit, asking the man to stop advancing on him. The man moved his hand under his vest at his waistline and the motorcyclist, who had his gun in a holster at the small of his back, thought the man was reaching for a weapon.
Witnesses say the motorcyclist backed away for approximately 20 to 30 yards, telling the man multiple times that he did not want to shoot him.
At this point, the man made a movement that the motorcyclist felt was an attack or lunge toward him. The motorcyclist fired his gun three times, striking the man in each arm and once to the torso. The man was wearing a belt sheath for a six-inch fixed blade knife. The knife itself was found on the ground at the scene. The motorcyclist said he did not see the knife.
The motorcyclist was cooperative with detectives. The man is in serious condition at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg.
The case is an active investigation. No one is in custody at this time.
No names are being released as detectives are determining the victim status of both subjects. The withholding of information is due to Florida voters approving Marsy’s Law.