A suspect in a child abuse case was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon and two St. Petersburg Police officers were injured after the man fired several rounds at detectives outside a St. Petersburg convenience store.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s office, Dominique Harris, 20, was identified around 4:15 p.m. in a car outside the Food Max store, at 1400 18th Avenue South. Harris was sought on felony child abuse charges after investigators say he body-slammed a 15-year-old during a fight in late October at an area basketball court.
When detectives approached Harris, he tried to drive away, deputies say. He rammed two police vehicles, a concrete barrier, and another vehicle before he was blocked in the parking lot.
Harris then pointed a gun and began shooting at detectives, deputies say. After one officer was shot in the lower torso, several deputies returned fire.
Harris was shot multiple times, deputies say. He was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead.
The officer who was shot underwent surgery Wednesday night and is in stable condition. The other suffered undisclosed injuries and was treated and released.
The Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force responded to the scene and is conducting an investigation. That task force was established in June as a way to have outside agencies investigate situations where officers use deadly force.
