PSL police suspect man planned to burn home with himself, wife, 3 children inside

PORT ST. LUCIE − Police responding to reports of a “violent domestic disturbance” over the weekend fatally shot a man who held a propane tank and a lighter as his wife was restrained with plastic ties, police said Monday.

The incident began shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday at a home in the 600 block of Northwest Marion Avenue, which is east of Northwest Bayshore Boulevard and north of Southwest Prima Vista Boulevard.

A white minivan was pulled up to the residence’s front door so no one could enter or exit, and investigators “believe that his intent was to ignite the house with him, the wife and three children in the home,” Sgt. Dominick Mesiti, police spokesperson, said Monday.

Killed in the incident was 50-year-old Paul Simon Fialho, police stated.

The grandmother of the three, 6-year-old triplets in the home called 911, and said the children yelled to her from the second floor of the home that "daddy was hitting mommy" and "mommy was not OK," police stated. The grandmother was outside and couldn't get in.

Officers Christina Horne and seven-year veteran Cody Daignault arrived. They contacted the grandmother outside and heard the children scream "daddy was killing mommy," police stated. Sgt. Sal Garcia, a 12-year veteran and SWAT sniper, got there shortly afterward.

“They're looking for places to get in. Eventually they're able to go around a tree where that white minivan is,” Mesiti said. “They jump on top of the white minivan, and they're able to make entry into the home.”

As the officers went inside, Mesiti said they heard a man and a woman screaming in the garage, which had been converted to a living space.

They tried to get in through a laundry room, but that was barricaded with a washer and dryer from the garage side. A large refrigerator blocked a hallway to a bathroom. Officers saw Fialho peek out the bathroom door so they moved the refrigerator to go after him. The bathroom connected to the garage.

Assistant Chief Leo Niemczyk said Garcia led and went in.

"He's confronted by the suspect, who's in possession of the victim, female victim, she's restrained in zip ties around her arms as well as her neck," Niemczyk said. "He orders the suspect to free her. He does, but then he arms himself with an actively running propane tank and a lighter."

Garcia ordered Fialho to drop the items and get on the ground, but he didn't, police stated.

Niemczyk said Garcia "had no choice but to disable the threat." Multiple shots were fired, and Fialho was pronounced dead.

“They evacuated rapidly because the house was full of gas. You could smell it," Niemczyk said. "There were gas cans present. They were concerned that that had been poured around the house as well. It was obvious that the suspect's intention was to to engulf the house in flames.”

Niemczyk said there is a “significant history” at the home, including two earlier domestic battery arrests.

“Their surrounding neighbors were also evacuated due to the fact that the propane was active, and there were other propane tanks in the house, and there was also a gas can in the house at his foot where he was shot,” Mesiti said.

Mesiti said the woman sustained minor injuries but the children were not injured.

A woman who came to the door Monday of the home where the incident reportedly occurred declined comment. A white minivan with a shattered front windshield was several feet from the front door.

The three officers were taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons, and were placed on administrative leave with pay, per standard policy after being involved in a shooting. The incident happened on Horne's first day of solo assignment.

Mesiti said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is leading the investigation into the shooting, while police are handling the domestic violence investigation.

Neighborhood reaction

Tim Bhagwandin, 51, who lives near the home, said police “swarmed” the area.

“Then within like half an hour, they had sealed off the area with some yellow tape, and they had armed police officers, with long guns and pistols,” Bhagwandin said.

He said he heard announcements made for a man to exit the house.

He said police had been to the home in the past regarding domestic situations.

“They would be the only neighbors that would just be out there, arguing, yelling loud,” Bhagwandin said. “He was normally always yelling, just yelling at his wife.”

He described the deceased as a “very boisterous, large guy,”

“I don't think he cared what people thought,” Bhagwandin said. “He had a very bad temper.”

Bhagwandin said he heard what he thought was four gunshots.

Another nearby neighbor is 28-year-old Nicholas Pense. He said he was relaxing when he heard screams.

“Then later I heard sirens, collectively coming together. More of them kept coming," Pense said. "And then suddenly I see that street blocked off at the end of the road.”

He said a number of people in the area were shaken up.

“I just heard the screams, that was it,” he said. “And then the sirens.”

A Fort Pierce fatal shooting happened in July

The incident comes after a July fatal officer-involved shooting in Fort Pierce. David Taylor, 62, died after Fort Pierce Police just before 6 a.m. July 28 went to his ground-floor residence in condominiums in the 1100 block of Bayshore Drive.

A roommate − a woman in her own room − also was in the Hutchinson Island home at the time, Police Maj. Michael Santiago has said.

“The 911 caller identifies someone in their house, identifies a white male with a firearm, specifically a 9 millimeter, blue in color, that was inside the bedroom at the time,” Santiago said Thursday.

Santiago said the 911 call originated in the home and was placed by a male.

When officers arrived, the door was ajar and they pushed open the door, announced themselves and made commands.

“They actually see someone, a white male, crossing in front of them in their line of sight, and the male points what appears to be a firearm directly at the officers,” Santiago said. “The officers are forced to use their weapons to neutralize the perceived threat.”

(This story was updated with video, photos and more information)

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Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Fatal officer-involved shooting in Port St. Lucie investigated