HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) is investigating a multi-jurisdictional deputy-involved shooting of a suspect whose criminal activity spanned several counties.
On Saturday, August 12, 2023, just after 2:20 a.m., the Pasco Sheriff’s Office (PSO) alerted law enforcement agencies in Tampa Bay of a suspect on the run after a domestic violence incident in Wesley Chapel, where he shot one woman.
Law enforcement officers from Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), and HCSO encountered the suspect as he made his way through the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County.
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As he tried to elude law enforcement, he crashed his vehicle in a retention pond off Hidden River Parkway and East Fletcher Avenue.
Jumping out of the vehicle, he started to run, pointing a firearm and shooting several times at law enforcement. One HCSO deputy, two PSO deputies, and one FHP trooper took cover and returned fire. The suspect ran behind an office building, where he was finally apprehended. He sustained several injuries related to the shootout and was taken to TGH, where doctors declared him deceased.
“This depraved criminal thought he could bring his reign of terror into Hillsborough County while families were sleeping,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “He was certainly mistaken. The deputies and trooper stopped him from endangering or hurting anyone else.”
The HCSO deputy involved is Nathan Vandam. He has been with the agency since 2020 and has no history of use of force.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the deputy-involved shooting. Per agency protocol, the deputy involved is on paid administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.
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