According to Pinellas County Sheriff deputies, at about 11:54 p.m. on March 20, 2019, they were called to a residence located at 2840 60th Avenue North, in unincorporated St. Petersburg, for a report of a domestic battery.
When deputies arrived, they made contact with the victim, 45-year-old Heidi Hayward, who said that her boyfriend, 43-year-old Joseph Robinson, grabbed her by her hair, threw her on the bed, and struck her multiple times.
Hayward informed deputies that Robinson was still inside the home and he had a gun.
Deputies say they evacuated approximately eight people who were already inside the home and established verbal contact with Robinson who was in a back bedroom.
Robinson told deputies he was not coming out of his bedroom to speak with them. While trying to talk Robinson out of the home, deputies heard the sound of a single gunshot from the area of Robinson’s bedroom.
Deputies had no further contact with Robinson from that point on.
Deputies set a perimeter around the home and evacuated neighboring residences in the abundance of caution.
Deputies spent more than four hours trying to establish communication with Robinson.
Deputies used an armored vehicle and a loud speaker to try and call out to Robinson but received no response.
At about 5:18 a.m. on Thursday, March 21, 2019, deputies made entry to Robinson’s residence and found Robinson deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Deputies learned that Robinson had recently made homicidal and suicidal threats.