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Suspect dies after shootout with St. Petersburg Police officers

Suspect dead after shootout with St. Pete PD
Suspect dead after shootout with St. Pete PD
Suspect dead after shootout with St. Pete PD
Posted at 4:37 AM, Oct 25, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-25 17:28:36-04

A suspect was killed early Wednesday morning by St. Petersburg Police officers after an exchange of gunfire.

Just before 1 a.m., a St. Pete Police officer spotted a white pickup truck that was stolen during an armed carjacking on Monday night.

The officer kept the truck under surveillance. The truck appeared to have a flat front tire and was driving very slowly, eventually turning east into the alley behind near 30th Street and 6th Avenue S.

Two patrol cruisers turned in behind him.

Police say that Timothy Earl Jackson, 33, got out of the pickup and fired at the officers. Two officers returned fire hitting Jackson.

Jackson was transported to Bayfront Hospital in critical condition where he passed away from his injuries shortly after.

Jackson's friends and family members say he had just gotten out from behind bars and was trying to make a better life for his children.

"He's all about his kids," said Sule Willis, Jackson's cousin. "He'd do whatever it takes to provide for his family."

Police are asking that anyone who may have been in the area that could have any video or information about this shooting to contact the St. Petersburg Police Department.

St. Petersburg PD, Pinellas County Sheriffs Office and the State Attorney will be involved in the investigation.

The officers involved have been identified as 10-year veteran Matthew Laliberte and 3-year veteran Andre Sousa. Both officers fired their weapons after 33-year-old Timothy Earl Jackson began shooting at them, according to St. Pete police. The officers are on administrative duty while the detectives and the Office of Professional Standards, as well as the State Attorneys' Office investigate. 

The carjacking from Monday occurred around 8:45 p.m. in the 4800 block of 20th Avenue S in St. Petersburg. In that incident, the driver of the pickup was stopped by two men in another vehicle that had pulled in front of him. The two men exited the vehicle armed with firearms, the victim complied, and the suspects left with the victims' pickup.