Doughnut Dispute Sparked Fatal Shooting: Sheriff

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — A Wednesday morning dispute between a 24-year-old man and his mother over doughnuts led to a shooting that left one man dead and a Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputy injured, according to Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

The incident began to unfold around 9 a.m. March 15 in the 5100 block of Eighth Way North in the Lealman area, according to Gualtieri. At that time, the sheriff’s office received a phone call from Susan DiFabbio, 63, asking for help with her son, Jeffrey Falsey.

Falsey, DiFabbio told authorities, wanted her to go get doughnuts, and she said no. Falsey became upset after the denial, and a domestic dispute erupted, Gualtieri said.

When deputies arrived on the scene, DiFabbio came out of the home. Two deputies proceeded to walk up to the mobile home’s door and knocked on it, Gualtieri said. When they did, someone told them to come in.

“They did not enter,” Gualtieri said. “They sensed something was wrong.”

As the two talked through the door, presumably to Falsey, “all of a sudden a significant number of gunshots rang out,” Gualtieri said.

The two deputies took cover behind nearby vehicles, he added. As other deputies arrived, shots continued to ring out.

Deputy Michael Ficocelli, 30, was going back to his car to get his rifle when he was struck in the back of the leg by a bullet, Gualtieri said.

“He is in good condition,” Gualtieri said during a Wednesday afternoon press conference. His wounds are not life-threatening, he added.

Gualtieri said Falsey’s “continual volley” of gunshots was guided by a video camera system inside the home.

“He was watching everything they were doing,” he said.

By 11:10 a.m., Gualtieri said deputies were able to establish communications and get Falsey to come out of the home. Once he was taken into custody, deputies found Daniel Kulwicki, 68, dead inside the home. Falsey, Gualtieri said, had shot Kulwicki, described as DiFabbio's fiance, in the forehead.

Kulwicki is a registered sex offender, Gualtieri said. His presence in DiFabbio’s home was an ongoing source of friction between the woman and her son, he added.

After securing the scene and searching the home, Gualtieri said deputies seized a 12-gauge shotgun, a Tech 9 semiautomatic handgun, a .45-caliber gun and a 223 rifle “with a bunch of ammunition.”

Gualtieri estimated more than 30 rounds were fired at deputies over the course of the standoff.

Falsey “has a significant mental health history,” Gualtieri added. The weapons were given to him by his father, who lives in St. Petersburg, the sheriff said.

“This is just an ongoing common situation,” Gualtieri said. “He went off today over doughnuts, upset with the fact his mother had the victim here.”

Pinellas County Jail records indicate Kulwicki was arrested in 2011 for failing to register as a sex offender. He listed his place of birth as Pennsylvania.

Falsey was arrested in January 2017 on a domestic battery charge. A full list of charges he faces related to Wednesday’s incident is not yet available.

Booking photo of Jeffrey Falsey from January 2017 courtesy of the Pinellas County Jail