Update 5:33 a.m., Wed. 2/23: St. Petersburg Police arrested a suspect last night in the murder of Officer David S. Crawford. Nicholas Lemmon Lindsey reportedly admitted shooting the officer after being taken into custody at 6 p.m. More on the story from the St. Petersburg Times and Bay News 9.
Update 5:54 p.m.: A video was released Tuesday afternoon by the St. Petersburg Police Department, with this caption: "If you know this man, please call 727-893-7780, leave a confidential tip at 727-892-5000 or text your tip to 727-420-8911." The department also posted a photo of a pair of flip-flops, presumably because they may have belonged to the suspect.
Update 1:07 p.m.: St. Pete Police Chief Chuck Harmon said this afternoon that there is now a "relentless" effort to capture the suspect in the death of officer David S. Crawford, who was shot and killed last night. There are reportedly over 200 officers looking for the suspect, identified as being a young black man, between the ages of 18-20, 5-foot 9-inches tall with a slender build.
Harmon said there's no evidence that the suspect was injured "but it is a possibility."He cautioned anybody who harbors him that they could face charges as well. And he said that Officer Crawford was not wearing a bulletproof vest when he was shot, saying that officers are mandated to have the equipment, but are given "discretion" as to whether they actually need to wear it (the department has yet to reveal the details of how Crawford died). He later mused ambiguously, "Would it have averted this tragedy? It may have had an impact, but it may not have." Harmon said it probably would be worthy to revisit that policy in the future.
Harmon also mentioned something extremely important: even though the police force is combing through every part of the area of St. Pete where the shooting occurred, he admitted that the suspect may not be within the perimeter. But he said usually in a situation like this the suspect would seek a hiding spot and "hunker down."
Mayor Bill Foster said "Somebody knows something," regarding the shooter, saying the police are going to rely on the community's cooperation to ferret out information about who the suspect is and where he might be. He said the situation was wrenching for the community, but the city would ultimately come out stronger in the end.
Updates 11:35 a.m. and 5:54 p.m.: The FBI is offering $50,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the suspect. Combined with money raised by the police department, the reward total is now $100,000. People with tips are encouraged to call the St. Petersburg Police Department's Communications Center at (727) 893-7780.
Update: The Times has published a profile of Officer Crawford that concludes with the recollections of a barista at Kahwah Coffee in downtown St. Pete, where Crawford investigated a break-in on Monday morning. Her conversation, in which they talk about the deaths of Officers Baitinger and Yaslowitz — both friends of Crawford, he said — now has a terribly sad irony.
Note: If you want to get a sense of how low people can go, read the comments on this and other St. Pete Times reports. Most of the commenters confine themselves to condolences, but others call for a "shoot first, ask questions later" policy in "the 'hood," while another suggests that the death of Crawford was part of some police-instigated Serpico-esque coverup. And some don't seem to know their St. Pete geography. One talks about the "really crummy part of town" where the murder took place; in fact, it occurred just a few blocks away from the arts and dining districts of Central Ave.
Original story, 8:35 a.m.: There is a massive manhunt going on this morning in St. Petersburg, after St. Pete Police officer David. S. Crawford, 46, was killed late Monday night while investigating a prowler call. The shooting incident occurred just after 10:30 p.m. near 8th St. and Third Avenue S.. Police say their search for the assailant is bounded by Fourth Street S and 16th Street S, and 4th Avenue S and 15th Avenue S. — the area around Tropicana Field.
Crawford was a 25-year veteran of the department. His death comes less than a month after the fatal shootings of St. Petersburg Police Officers Thomas Baitinger and Jeffrey Yaslowitz, who were the first St. Pete officers killed in the line of duty in over 30 years.
St. Pete Police Chief Chuck Harmon has described the suspect as a black male who was 18 to 20 years old and wearing a black hoodie.
The shooting death of a St. Pete officer is affecting the Tampa Police Department, as the TPD has canceled a 10:30 a.m. news conference this morning to announce their latest crime statistics for 2010. The St. Pete Times reports that the TPD immediately sent 12 officers to help secure the search area, and later dedicated more officers.
This article appears in Feb 17-23, 2011.