Police Shoot, Kill St. Pete Man Armed with Rifle

Update, 10:30 a.m.: St. Petersburg Police have identified the suspect as 46-year-old Lealann Russell Melder Cooley. 

Authorities say Cooley's wife and 18-year-old daughter left the home yesterday to stay with relatives because they did not feel safe. 

"Both reported to investigators that Cooley had been drinking heavily and acting strangely throughout the previous day," the police report said.  

According to interviews with Cooley's family, he had been taking his firearms out and loading them while acting paranoid and making suicidal threats, police said.

Original Post: St. Petersburg Police have shot and killed a St. Pete man who they say pointed a rifle at officers from his front porch early Saturday. 

According to police, the suspect is a 46-year-old male who lives in the 3300 block of 40th Street North. His name will be released once next-of-kin have been notified. 

Police said the incident began around 1:40 a.m. Saturday when officers responded to the area based on a call of shots being fired somewhere in the neighborhood. 

No shots were heard while officers were at the scene. 

Around 3:36 a.m., police received another call in that neighborhood complaining about loud music, the police report said. 

This time, however, as officers arrived they heard a gunshot coming from the suspect's home. 

Police said additional officers arrived at the home and began to approach the residence where the armed suspect was standing on the enclosed front porch armed with a 44 cal. magnum revolver. 

As seven officers surrounded the porch, police said the suspect put down his revolver but then reached down near his front door and picked up a 30/30 lever action rifle. 

The suspect then pointed the rifle at the officers. Six officers fired their guns at the suspect, killing him at the scene, according to the police report. 

Police said inside the suspect's home they found a shotgun, bandoleer of shotgun ammunition, rifle cases and ammunition was found lying on the bed and floor of the home. 

According to police, in interviews with neighbors, it was determined that it was the suspect shooting guns intermittently throughout the day and the person playing loud music. Neighbors told police they were reluctant to call police for help. 

All six officers have been put on administrative leave while investigators from the Department's Investigative Services Bureau, Internal Affairs Unit and the Pinellas/Pasco State Attorney's Office conduct their inquiry, the police report said.