St. Petersburg – A man died Sunday afternoon following an officer-involved shooting at a home in St. Petersburg, according to information released during a press conference by Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.
The shooting occurred Sunday morning at a residence located at 121 Pershing Street NE in St. Petersburg.
According to Sheriff Gualtieri, St. Petersburg Police officers were called to the home at about 11:20 a.m. after Kerry Sedlock contacted police regarding his brother, Kasey Sedlock, who was reportedly attempting suicide and acting erratically.
Gualtieri described the incident as a “really sad situation,” saying Kasey Sedlock had a significant history of mental health issues, drug abuse, and prior attempts at self-harm.
According to investigators, Kerry Sedlock initially did not want to call the police and attempted to handle the situation himself. Gualtieri said Kerry was able to disarm Kasey and took a knife away from him, placing it inside a Chevrolet pickup truck parked in the driveway. However, due to Kasey’s continued erratic behavior, Kerry decided police assistance was still needed.
When officers arrived, Kerry told them Kasey was inside the home and was still acting erratically. Officers entered the residence and went down a hallway, where they encountered Kasey standing at the end of the hallway with the knife in his hand, according to Gualtieri.
Gualtieri said Kasey was telling officers, “shoot me, shoot me.”
Officers attempted to use less-lethal force to de-escalate the situation, deploying a Taser. Kasey fell to the ground inside what was described as his bedroom, and the knife came out of his hand, landing on the floor next to him.
According to Gualtieri, Kasey continued saying “shoot me” while reaching for the knife. Officers deployed a Taser again, including an officer deploying a Taser and the original officer recycling the original Taser cartridges in an effort to prevent the situation from escalating.
Gualtieri said the Taser was ineffective, and Kasey continued reaching for the knife. Kasey then grabbed the knife and began getting up from the ground with the knife in his right hand, attempting to move toward the officers.
At that point, one St. Petersburg Police officer fired four shots, striking Kasey.
Kasey Sedlock was transported by EMS to HCA Florida Northside Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 12:20 p.m.
The officer who fired the shots has not yet been identified. Gualtieri said a new Florida law taking effect July 1 prohibits the release of the officer’s name for the first 72 hours. Because the shooting falls within that window, the officer’s name is expected to be released on Thursday.
Although the officer involved is with the St. Petersburg Police Department, the investigation is being handled by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office under the Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Task Force protocol.
Gualtieri said the information released Sunday is preliminary and subject to additional interviews, crime scene processing, and review of body-worn camera video.
The knife involved was described as having an approximately four-inch serrated blade. Gualtieri said the knife was recovered in the room where the shooting occurred.
The investigation remains active.