FLA. COP GUNNED DOWN IN ST. PETE'S SHOOTOUT

BLUE HEARTACHE has hit the Tampa Bay area today as another cop has been murdered in the line of duty. St. Petersburg Police officer David Crawford, 46, a 25-year vet of the force was gunned down Monday night. He leaves his wife Donna and daughter Amanda, 24.
The slaying occurred near Tropicana Field where the Devil Rays play. Crawford's murder was the fifth Florida cop killing in the past two months.
According to cops, the suspect was last seen climbing a fence. He is a black male in his late teens or early 20s wearing a hoodie.
WUSF REPORTS: The incident started just after 10:30 Monday night when a resident called police about a suspicious person holding a broken brick and walking through the backyard of the callers’ home. Officer Donald Ziglar, 41, responded to the 700 block of Third Avenue South followed by Officer Crawford.
Crawford drove his cruiser around the area and spotted a man near the southeast corner of Second Avenue South and Eighth Street South. He parked his cruiser and approached the man. There was an exchange of gunfire and at 10:37 p.m. Officer Ziglar reported that an officer was down.
The suspect fled on foot. It is not known if the suspect was hit in the exchange.

“Our hearts are broken, and what I ask our community to do ... in the days ahead is to pray for the men and women of the St. Petersburg Police Department,” said St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster.

Just four weeks ago that St. Pete's cops Jeffrey Yaslowitz and Thomas Baitinger were killed while helping to serve a warrant on a suspect with a long criminal history. Also in January, two veteran Miami Dade police detectives were killed hunting down a murder suspect.
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