'Looking for Evidence,' Authorities Demolish House Where 2 Cops Were Fatally Shot Yesterday
A relatively routine attempt to make an arrest yesterday ended in tragedy and a dramatic gunfight between hundreds of officers from multiple police forces and a single suspect, as officers fought to rescue fallen members of their teams from a single-family home in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Two city police officers died of their wounds, a loss of life unprecedented there in 73 years, and other officers were injured as a suspect was also killed, either by officers or with his own semi-automatic. Meanwhile, “looking for evidence,” according to a police spokesman, authorities demolished the house overnight, reports the St. Petersburg Times.
A subsequent St. Petersburg Times article today shows only a bare patch of rubble where the house stood yesterday. The rubble has reportedly been taken to another location where it will be spread out and searched.
Admittedly, some evidence may have been lost in the demolition process, another police spokesman tells the newspaper. However, police said the structure wasn’t safe to search after it was hit by “small tanks” and at least one other armored vehicle during the battle between the suspect, Hydra Lacy Jr., and officers from city, county and multiple federal forces including the Department of Homeland Security.
The homeowner, Christine Lacy—who reportedly cooperated with authorities and told them up front that Hydra Lacy was hiding, probably armed, in the attic—can seek damages from the city for the demolition, police said.
The battle began a little after 7 a.m. yesterday, when an undercover city police detective, a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy and a deputy United States marshal arrived at the house to try to arrest Lacy, a former inmate who had failed to appear for a recent court date in an aggravated battery case. Reportedly, he had vowed not to return to prison.
They called for backup and more officers arrived. An off-duty city police canine officer and a deputy marshal climbed up into the attic on a ladder, and the battle began.
Gunshots rang out as Lacy, who was armed with a semi-automatic pistol, hit both men with a burst of fire as they entered. The canine officer fell, gravely wounded, in the attic and the wounded marshal fell down from the ceiling.
Another team was sent into the house, in an attempt to rescue them, and brought the marshal out, reportedly returning fire as Lacy shot at them. However, they couldn’t get to the fallen canine officer. The marshal survived, but another city police officer shot during the rescue attempt died.
A third team tried at about 9:20 a.m. and succeeded in rescuing Jeffrey Yaslowitz, 39, again reportedly exchanging fire with Lacy, but it was too late to save the canine officer. After that, nothing further was heard from Lacy, and police punched holes in the house, sent robots in with cameras and slowly tore it apart as they looked for Lacy. His body was found around 2 p.m., but police did not say whether he committed suicide or was killed by officers’ fire.
An excavator and dump trucks were then brought in to complete the demolition last night.
Christine Lacy had taken out a protective order against Lacy, who apparently was her husband, and her sister, Carol Jewell, tells the Times that Christine Lacy had asked the police for help when he allegedly violated the order by entering her home.
However, authorities refused to pick Lacy up at that time because they didn’t have a warrant, Jewell says.
“After they left her, I took her to my house,” she tells the newspaper. “If they had arrested him in November when we called police, he never would have been a fugitive.”
