ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A St. Petersburg Police Officer shot an armed suspect early Saturday morning after responding to a report of shots fired. The incident is now under investigation by the Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force.
At approximately 4:10 a.m. on March 8th, 2025, officers responded to the 2800 block of Freemont Terrace South after a caller reported hearing gunshots and described the suspect as wearing all black.
Upon arrival, Officers Austin Heard and Steve Blanda encountered a man matching the suspect’s description, later identified as 48-year-old Vernon A. Miller. Miller was standing in the doorway of a parked van, armed with a handgun.
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According to detectives, officers gave Miller verbal commands to drop the firearm. However, Miller turned towards the officers with the weapon, prompting Officer Heard to fire several shots, striking Miller in the abdomen.
Miller was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Officers Heard and Blanda were uninjured.
Detectives recovered a spent shell casing at the scene that did not belong to law enforcement. Miller was armed with a black handgun, a photo of which has been released.
The investigation into the officer-involved shooting is ongoing.
PREVIOUS REPORT: A St. Petersburg Police Officer was involved in a non-fatal shooting with a suspect in the area of 6th Avenue South and 28th Street South.
The incident occurred early Saturday, prompting a response from multiple law enforcement agencies.
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This is a developing story and will be updated.
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