PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - Authorities with the Port St. Lucie Police Department confirmed that a fatal officer-involved shooting happened after police arrived on a scene where the man was about to burn his family alive in their own home.
According to WPBF, police responded to a domestic violence incident near the 600 block of Northwest Marion Avenue around 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 28th. Port St. Lucie Police Department Assistant Chief Leo Niemczyk said that the incident started with a call for a domestic dispute and that when officers made their way inside of the home, they heard screaming coming from a bedroom.
Police said that the children were upstairs in another part of the house screaming for their mother. The front door to the house was barricaded, making it difficult for the police to make their way through. Once inside, they noticed that a refrigerator was blocking the bedroom that the mother was in. That bedroom was a garage that was converted into a bedroom. Once a sergeant got inside of that room, he found the man's wife.
Niemczyk said, "She had been restrained with zip ties, including one around her neck. And at that point, the male had raised an actively running propane tank and a lighter up. And, you know, told the sergeant, I'm going to do something. [The sergeant] really had no choice at that point but to disable the situation." The man's wife and their two small children are safe and none of the responding officers were injured in the incident.
The police cleared the house of any potential hazards, but prior to that, some nearby houses were evacuated for precautionary measures. Lascells Peart was one of the residents who had to temporarily leave his home. He said, "It's scary, scary knowing that this thing can happen anywhere in such a quiet neighborhood. I mean, there's a lot of kids around not expecting to hear that. It's sad. Anytime someone loses their life, it's a sad situation, but at least we're safe."
WPTV reported that Niemczyk said that the officers had to act quickly, adding, "We needed to have the fire department there because there was more than one gas canister and it appeared his intention was to ignite the home." Police have since identified the man as 50-year-old Paul Simon Fiahlo. Niemczyk said that there is "significant history" at the home, including two other domestic battery arrests.
The investigation remains active and the officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, as per department policy. The grandmother of the children was the one to call 911, saying that the children yelled to her from the second floor of the home that "daddy was hitting mommy" and "mommy was not OK." The grandmother was outside and could not get in.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will be leading the investigation into the officer-involved fatal shooting. Niemczyk said that he believes his officers did the right thing by shooting and killing the suspect. He said, "I think that they were very heroic and I think they saved an entire family's life. I'm just really grateful that the children are OK and the wife is OK. And I think that's because of the actions that our officers took this afternoon. And it could have been a whole lot worse. Nonetheless, someone lost their life, and you know, that's regretful, but I think [the suspect] dictated the outcome."
According to WPBF, police responded to a domestic violence incident near the 600 block of Northwest Marion Avenue around 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 28th. Port St. Lucie Police Department Assistant Chief Leo Niemczyk said that the incident started with a call for a domestic dispute and that when officers made their way inside of the home, they heard screaming coming from a bedroom.
Police said that the children were upstairs in another part of the house screaming for their mother. The front door to the house was barricaded, making it difficult for the police to make their way through. Once inside, they noticed that a refrigerator was blocking the bedroom that the mother was in. That bedroom was a garage that was converted into a bedroom. Once a sergeant got inside of that room, he found the man's wife.
Niemczyk said, "She had been restrained with zip ties, including one around her neck. And at that point, the male had raised an actively running propane tank and a lighter up. And, you know, told the sergeant, I'm going to do something. [The sergeant] really had no choice at that point but to disable the situation." The man's wife and their two small children are safe and none of the responding officers were injured in the incident.
The police cleared the house of any potential hazards, but prior to that, some nearby houses were evacuated for precautionary measures. Lascells Peart was one of the residents who had to temporarily leave his home. He said, "It's scary, scary knowing that this thing can happen anywhere in such a quiet neighborhood. I mean, there's a lot of kids around not expecting to hear that. It's sad. Anytime someone loses their life, it's a sad situation, but at least we're safe."
WPTV reported that Niemczyk said that the officers had to act quickly, adding, "We needed to have the fire department there because there was more than one gas canister and it appeared his intention was to ignite the home." Police have since identified the man as 50-year-old Paul Simon Fiahlo. Niemczyk said that there is "significant history" at the home, including two other domestic battery arrests.
The investigation remains active and the officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, as per department policy. The grandmother of the children was the one to call 911, saying that the children yelled to her from the second floor of the home that "daddy was hitting mommy" and "mommy was not OK." The grandmother was outside and could not get in.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will be leading the investigation into the officer-involved fatal shooting. Niemczyk said that he believes his officers did the right thing by shooting and killing the suspect. He said, "I think that they were very heroic and I think they saved an entire family's life. I'm just really grateful that the children are OK and the wife is OK. And I think that's because of the actions that our officers took this afternoon. And it could have been a whole lot worse. Nonetheless, someone lost their life, and you know, that's regretful, but I think [the suspect] dictated the outcome."
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