Hillsborough Deputies Question Tampa Man In Shooting Death

TAMPA, FL - Detectives are questioning a 22-year-old Tampa man about the death of his mother's boyfriend at an apartment complex, 3811 N. Cortez Circle in Carrollwood. Tyler Bardin, 22, lives in the apartment with his mother and her boyfriend, Brian Vessel, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Bardin is considered a person of interest in the shooting, deputies said. The shooting death occurred at the apartment about 1:43 a.m. Thursday. The sheriff's office received a call about an altercation taking place inside the apartment. When deputies arrived, they located Vessel outside the apartment entrance. He had died from a gunshot wound, detectives said. Vessel celebrated his 46th birthday on Wednesday.

Detectives checked the residence and located an adult female inside unharmed. During this time, Bardin was hiding in the apartment. When deputies entered the apartment, they conducted a standard cursory search of the residence and located a 100 pound pit bull in a bedroom, but did not see Bardin.

Deputies turned the scene over to homicide detectives. Homicide detectives applied for a search warrant and during that process learned that Bardin might be hiding inside the residence. Since Bardin was considered armed, the sheriff's crisis negotiators and SWAT team arrived at the scene.

At 10 a.m., negotiators began attempting to make contact with Bardin. Bardin was seen moving within the residence and refused to exit. About 11:45 a.m., Bardin was seen exiting the rear of the apartment and was apprehended unharmed.

Homicide detectives have re-entered the apartment and are moving forward with processing the scene for any evidence, including the search for the firearm. At this time, Bardin has not been charged with any crime pending further investigation and a review of the circumstances by the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office.

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