Pinellas Park, FL – Detectives assigned to the Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force are investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Sunday, October 5, 2025, in Pinellas Park.
At approximately 11:55 a.m., Pinellas Park Police officers responded to 4370 82nd Avenue North for a Keep the Peace call. The homeowner, who rents out the residence as a short-term rental property, requested assistance in having the renter vacate the premises.
According to detectives, when officers knocked on the door, the renter, 42-year-old Eric Ton, answered while holding a knife and became confrontational. He then closed the door and barricaded himself inside. Officers attempted to communicate with the suspect by phone several times, but he refused to come out or respond to their calls.
A contact team equipped with less-lethal rounds and a shield entered the home through the west side. Detectives say the suspect, who was in the living room, ignored commands to drop the knife. Officers fired less-lethal beanbag rounds, but the suspect continued to refuse commands and then struck Corporal Graham Fox with the knife, causing a laceration to his upper left shoulder.
Officer Greyson Ekdahl-McBride fired several rounds, striking the suspect in the upper body. Ton was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Corporal Fox sustained a minor injury to his shoulder.
The investigation remains ongoing.
The Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force, established in 2020, was created to ensure independent, thorough, and objective investigations into incidents involving law enforcement use of deadly force within the county.