Update, Dec. 21, 1:50 p.m.: The officer killed was Charles Kondek, a 45-year-old father of six and an 17-year veteran of the force.*
Original post, Dec. 21, 11 a.m.: A police officer was shot and killed in the early hours of Sunday morning in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Very little information has been released about the shooting that took place at 3 a.m. and is being investigated by the Pinellas County Sherriff’s Office and Tarpon Springs Police. A suspect in the shooting is in custody. Both the officer and the shooter are male, according to Bay News 9.
In addition to the crime scene, investigators are also looking into a nearby scene where the shooter apparently crashed his white Hyundai sedan after fleeing. He crashed into a power pole and a pickup car. There is no word on whether the suspect was injured.
“The crime scene area overlooks Spring Bayou in what is considered an affluent area of Tarpon Springs,” notes the Tampa Tribune.
The officer is the fourth to die in the line of duty in the history of the Tarpon Springs Police Department. The last one died in 1969.
*Correction, Dec. 22, 2014: This post originally misspelled Charles Kondek’s name, misstated how many children he had, and misstated the number of years he worked for the Tarpon Springs police department.
