TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The chief of the Tampa Police Department say they shot and killed an armed robbery suspect after a robbery at a Dollar General in east Tampa this morning.
It happened around 9:20 a.m. along N. 50th Street.
Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said the suspect, Dominque Mulkey, 26, was initially stopped by uncooperative clerks, so he pulled out a gun and stuffed some merchandise in a bag before fleeing on foot.
Dugan said two officers encountered Mulkey around five blocks away from the store. Officer worn bodycam video released by TPD showed Mulkey turn toward the officers with a gun in his hand which led to officers opening fire, striking him.
Chief Dugan says one officer is a 25-year veteran of the department. The other has been with the force for two years.
Mulkey was transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he died from his injuries, Dugan said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has been dispatched to the scene to investigate the shooting.
“The officers are physically okay. I can tell you emotionally, they’re upset,” Dugan said.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor responded to the scene, but has since left. Castor served as Chief of Police of the Tampa Police Department from 2009 to 2015.
For the first time, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) will investigate a Tampa Police Department involved shooting.
The department implemented this new process for investigating officer-involved shootings to ensure an impartial investigation with the highest level of accountability is conducted by an external agency.
The Tampa Police Department will conduct an internal/administrative investigation upon completion of FDLE’s investigation. The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, in accordance with standard procedure.
The Dollar General is in the same block of the highly-publicized 2010 shooting of TPD officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab.
The officers stopped a vehicle in the early morning hours of June 29, 2010. Police say Dontae Morris got out of the vehicle and opened fire, killing both officers. Morris is also responsible for the deaths of three other people around the same time.
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