SARASOTA (WSNN) – A man is dead in Sarasota after coming at deputies with a knife Friday. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office deputies were there to evict the man.
“It is a shame, it is a shame,” Sarasota Resident Randy Kelly said.
Thursday morning, deputies posted an eviction notice at a condo in the Palm Place Condominiums complex in Sarasota.
“You have 24 hours, or you will be physically removed by law enforcement,” Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Kaitlyn Perez said.
So, Friday morning, three deputies and the attorney of the previous owner went to the 4th floor to evict the 58-year-old man who was living there.
“Unfortunately, the individual that was living with the owner decided to stay in this apartment and not pay rent,” Perez said.
The family attorney began the legal process of selling the apartment after the owner had passed away in September.
“In many ways, he was kind of squatting in this unit, he was not able to be here, his name was not on the list,” Perez said. “He should not have been here.”
Every time deputies go to work, they must be prepared for the worst-case scenarios.
“When they went into the unit, the individual armed himself with a knife and he advanced towards our deputies,” Perez said. “One of our deputies fired her weapon.”
Perez says they tried to talk to the man to deescalate the situation.
“But, again, he did not, he advanced toward our deputies,” Perez said.
More shots were fired, killing the man.
“Terrible thing, I hope it’s a one-off,” Kelly said.
And, we don’t know the name of the man, because the next of kin has not been notified.
“Anytime our deputies have to utilize their weapons, lethal or non-lethal, it’s not a good day for us,” Perez said.
Neighbors says this is usually a quiet area.
“It’s kind of startling,” Kelly said. “One of the things I enjoy about this area is that it’s pretty much crime-free.”
“I live in Sarabande, and we don’t have any of those problems at all,” Sarasota Resident Ed Bavaria said.
The deputies involved are said to be ‘okay’. They will be placed on temporary leave during the investigation, which is typical protocol.
