Booking image for Christopher Ryan Kelly
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Inside a Clearwater neighborhood, a deputy-involved shooting played out that led to a law enforcement officer firing his weapon at a suspect who was armed with a knife.
Around 6:44 p.m. Monday, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office received a report from a woman who said her adult son was armed with a knife and threatening to harm himself. She noted that he "wanted to die by suicide by cop," according to a news release from the Clearwater Police Department.
When deputies arrived, the man, later identified as 38-year-old Christopher Ryan Kelly, was in the garage of the home at 2350 Ella Place. They said he was "armed with a knife and active erratic."
"For 70 minutes, they tried to talk him into putting the knife down, but he would not comply," according to detectives. "At one point, he exited the garage into the side yard, still armed with the knife. At that time, deputies fired less-lethal bean bags, but those had little effect on him. He then ran directly to the backyard toward two deputies, still holding the knife."
Investigators said Kelly didn't listen to commands from the deputies to drop the knife and those deputies "were in fear for their lives."
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One deputy fired one shot toward Kelly, and the bullet grazed his arm, according to the Clearwater Police Department. Kelly was taken to a hospital before being booked in Pinellas County Jail. He faces charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest without violence.
Officials said he has a history of mental health issues, along with drug and alcohol use.
The deputy who fired her weapon has been with the sheriff's office since 2021 and is on non-disciplinary relief of duty during the investigation.
The Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Taskforce is investigating the shooting. The task force, created in 2020, is comprised of officials from four local law enforcement agencies: Clearwater Police Department, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, St. Petersburg Police Department, and Pinellas Park Police Department.