Sarasota deputies shoot and kill man who pointed gun at them on domestic violence call
Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office deputies shot and killed a man who pointed a gun at them while responding to a domestic violence call on Sunday, the agency said in a news release.
The incident happened shorty after 9 a.m. at a home on Tarawa Drive, south of Bee Ridge Road.
The suspect, 47-year-old Brian Underwood, pulled a semi-automatic weapon from behind his back and racked the gun before law enforcement opened fire, the sheriff’s office said.
Emergency operators received a 911 call at 9:06 a.m. Sunday from a woman who said she awoke to find Underwood pointing a gun at her. The two had been in argument the day before, the woman told deputies.
Underwood and the woman were believed to be dating, Sheriff Kurt Hoffman said at an afternoon press conference. Her name is being withheld under Florida’s Marsy’s Law for crime victims. Deputies believe the couple resided at the home on Tarawa Drive, which belongs to Underwood’s mother.
When deputies got to the house, they tried to make contact with Underwood, but he would not come out, Hoffman said. Underwood’s girlfriend remained inside, where she was barricaded in a room and talking with 911 operators.
Underwood’s mother was also present, but she was able to exit the home at some point during the incident, leaving the front door open, Hoffman said.
Deputies eventually made contact with Underwood over the phone and convinced him to go to a window and show his hands, Hoffman said. The suspect then told deputies they could come into the home to retrieve his girlfriend, the news release said.
Four deputies entered the front door, where they found Underwood with his hands still raised. Hoffman said that as deputies attempted to deescalate the situation, Underwood reached behind his back and pulled a gun from his waistband.
Underwood appeared to load a round into the gun’s chamber and then lifted the weapon up towards the deputies. In response, two of the deputies fired at Underwood.
Underwood died from his injuries.
Underwood has one prior arrest for domestic battery out of Citrus County, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies had also been called to the home on Tarawa Drive for previous domestic disturbances, but no arrests were made.
The names of all four deputies, including the two that fired their weapons, are also being withheld under Marsy’s Law.
Hoffman noted that it was the second time that deputies had deemed it necessary to shoot a suspect in recent days, referencing an incident on Aug. 19 when deputies were confronted by a man armed with a machete.
“This is still a very dangerous profession,” Hoffman said. “We handle these calls as professionally as we can. It was unfortunate that this and also the call from a few days ago ended with the suspect losing their life. And the deputies responded what appears to be appropriately.”
