Largo Police Shoot Man Who Asked Them To, Authorities Say

Largo Police shot and Tasered an intoxicated man who was threatening to shoot himself during an "intense" standoff, authorities said Monday.

The situation began a little after midnight Sunday at the Walsingham Apartments, 14531 Walsingham Rd., where officers were called after the man walked into a neighbor's apartment "very intoxicated" and stated he wanted the police to shoot him, according to authorities.

Officers arrived and made contact with the man by phone, and he told them he had a gun and was not sure why it jammed. They convinced the man to open the door to his apartment and come outside; when he did, he was armed with a rifle and a handgun, police said.

The man "would point the gun at his head and request officers to shoot him over and over," during the 15-minute standoff, Sgt. Ryan J. Dulski said in an email to media.

The man was hit three times and dropped the firearms but still attempted to run, police said, causing them to use a Taser to bring him to the ground and take him into custody.

"Aside from some superficial injuries," the man was taken into custody unharmed and brought to Largo Medical Center for a mental health evaluation, Dulski said.

The man's identity has not been released. No further information was immediately available.

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