LARGO, Fla. (WFLA) — A suspect said he doesn’t blame Largo police officers for shooting him after he pointed a rifle at them Saturday, according to the Largo Police Department.
Authorities said the suspect, identified as 58-year-old James Roesler of Largo, was damaging his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle and getting into fights with her neighbors when officers arrived Saturday night.
However, when officers got there, they saw that Roesler was wielding a rifle. The LPD said the three officers on scene told him to drop the weapon, but he wouldn’t, pointing the rifle at the officers.
The three officers then opened fire on Roesler, hitting him.
Roesler survived and was taken to Bayfront Health for treatment. While there, Roesler told investigators he regretted his actions, telling them “what I did was stupid” and “the officers did what they had to do.”
The shooting is still under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforce, per department policy.
Roesler faces charges for aggravated assault on LEO, battery on a person 65 years of age or older, and felony criminal mischief.
