Although there have been several law officers killed in the act of duty in the Tampa Bay area over the past several years, the St. Petersburg Police Department has not had to deal with such a situation since 1980.

But that changed this morning at 7:15 when two officers (still not identified) were shot and killed by  suspect Hydra Lacy Jr., who was being served a U.S. Marshal's warrant through a fugitive task force. A marshal was also shot at the scene twice but is expected to survive.

Lacy Jr. is still holed up in his house at this time.

The shooting took place at 3734 28th Ave.  as the officers were attempting to serve a warrant to Lacy, whose brother Jeff Lacy, the former two-time IBF super middleweight world champion.

WTVT-Fox 13 reports that Hydra Lacy Jr. has a lengthy rap sheet:

Lacy, 39, was arrested back in 1988 for grand theft auto, aggravated assault, and resisting arrest. He spent more than three years in prison.

Not long after his release, he was arrested on several charges, including sexual battery and kidnapping. He spent over 15 years behind bars for those crimes.

St. Petersburg Police Chief Chuck Harmon, who has been on the force since 2001, acknowledged this morning that he's never had to deal with one of his own being killed in the line of action.  At that same news conference, a visibly pained Mayor Bill Foster said, "Our hearts are grieving today."

There are road closures right now in these parts of St. Pete:

37th Street S. shut down.

29th Avenue S. is shut down.

30th Avenue is shut down.

28th Avenue is shut down.

St. Pete Police will give another update at 4 p.m.

Across the bay in Tampa, Mayor Pam Iorio has issued a press release:

What a terrible day for us all as we received the news of two of St. Petersburg’s finest officers who died in the line of duty this morning and a U.S. Marshal who was seriously injured.

We grieve over this terrible tragedy – the loss of valued members of our law enforcement community who protect us everyday.  We have felt this terrible loss before and are reminded of the dangers our officers face every single day.

On behalf of the City of Tampa, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the officers, the larger family of the St. Petersburg Police Department, and to all the citizens of our sister city.  I know I share the thoughts and prayers of all our citizens who care deeply about the welfare of our law enforcement officials and their sacrifice that allows all of us to live safely.

This article appears in Jan 20-26, 2011.