Attempted Murder Charge Placed on Man Who Fired at Deputy

A man who was taken into custody after firing his gun at a Pasco County Sheriff’s sergeant has been charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.  

Around 2:30 a.m. Monday, a man at 7917 Royal Stewart Drive, in the unincorporated New Port Richey area, threatened to shoot himself with a handgun, and his spouse called 911, according to a sheriff’s office detective.

The spouse got the gun away from the man and threw it into the front yard. A deputy entered the home, and the man pointed a rifle at her. The deputy told the detective she retreated to safety.

The man fired a shotgun slug into his ceiling, according to the detective’s arrest report.

A Pasco County sheriff’s sergeant then entered the home. The man shot at the sergeant with a .308-calbre rifle, according to the arrest report. The bullet missed and lodged in a dresser. 

The man fled out the back door of his home with a shotgun and rifle and ran toward his next door neighbor’s backyard. The deputy and sergeant followed.

The man pointed his rifle at the sergeant and attempted to fire, according to the report. The sergeant fired a round and the deputy fired five. The man crouched down and ejected a round, trying to clear a rifle jam.

The sergeant attempted to arrest the man, but the man tried to resist by kicking and attempting to free himself from compliance holds, according to the report.

Help was needed from four other deputies to arrest the man, and a tazer was deployed in the attempt.

Afterward, the man admitted that he had been drinking a “few beers” prior to the incident.

Arrested was Robert Fredrickson, 42. After being medically cleared, he was charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence.