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HCSO says 'very active' barricade situation in Ruskin ends peacefully

SWAT and Crisis Negotiations Team activated
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Posted at 8:55 PM, Feb 28, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-01 05:22:44-05

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said there was a peaceful resolution to a barricaded subject situation in Ruskin after nearly four hours of negotiations on Monday night.

Authorities said they were called just after 4 p.m. to a home on the 1900 block of 33rd St SE for a welfare check on Sean Porter, 35. Officials said a mental health counselor called and said Porter was making suicidal threats.

The sheriff's office said at that time, they were unable to make contact with Porter.

Additional 911 calls were made more than an hour later, around 5:40 p.m. The callers said Porter was involved in an argument with another person at the same property and fired a single gunshot before he went into a shed with two other people, an adult man and a woman.

The sheriff's office said witnesses described the man and woman as possible hostages. At that time, authorities said Porter made more comments about harming himself and others.

SWAT and Crisis Negotiators were called to the scene, where they worked for nearly four hours to get Porter to safely exit the shed.

No one was injured, authorities said, and there was evidence of a possible gunshot wound in the shed.

The sheriff's office said Porter has a history of mental illness and an arrest history that includes battery, domestic violence, false imprisonment, and tampering with a witness.

Porter was arrested for aggravated battery with a firearm in connection to the incident.

"The dedication and professionalism displayed by the men and women of HCSO played a key role in keeping everyone safe tonight," said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. "The mental health training our deputies go through allows them to calmly and skillfully negotiate with individuals with mental health conditions. Thankfully, that training paid off tonight."