Armed suspect shot by police officer while holding knife to woman’s neck (HCSO)

TAMPA, Florida. – The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office says a deputy was forced to open fire on an armed man holding a knife to a woman’s neck inside an apartment Thursday night, killing the suspect .

According to HCSO, deputies responded around 9 p.m. to a neighbor dispute along Camden Street near Waters Avenue, west of Dale Mabry.

Investigators said Jason Paul, 47, acted “erratically” and threatened to kill his neighbor, then entered his apartment and refused to come out.

At a news conference Friday morning, Deputy Chief Joseph Maurer said deputies determined Paul posed a danger to the community and issued the Baker Act, ordering him back outside.

Officers then looked through a window of the apartment and saw Paul holding a knife at a woman who was screaming, according to HCSO. The police broke the window and went inside, ordering Paul to drop the knife.

HCSO said Paul refused several commands, leading a deputy to shoot. Paul later died in hospital.

“This entire call, from 911 to the time of the shooting, lasted 20 minutes,” Maurer said. “Twenty minutes of trying to deescalate the situation and then it resulted in a hostage situation. Our deputies responded incredibly during that time.”

The deputy who opened fire has been with the sheriff’s office since February 2024 and has no history of use of force.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting, which is standard procedure.

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