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A Tarpon Springs police officer was shot and killed overnight, and a man identified as a transient has been charged with first-degree murder, authorities said.
Veteran officer Charles "Charlie K" Kondek was fatally shot sometime after 2 a.m. near 199 Grand Blvd., a few blocks from the city's Sponge Docks. He was a father of six and former New York City policeman.
According to investigators, a second shooting occurred on Athens Street, where the shooter - identified as 23-year-old Marco Antonio Parilla Jr. - fled in a white Hyundai Elantra. Parilla crashed into a power pole and snapped it and then crashed into a pickup truck, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Cecila Barreda said.
The Tarpon Springs Police Department released the officer's name on its Facebook page around 11:15 a.m., saying "our hearts and prayers go out to the Kondek Family and our deepest sympathy."
Parilla was arrested and taken to the Pinellas County Jail. After questioning, Parilla was escorted to jail and apologized to the family of Officer Kondek, saying he didn't intend for any of this to happen.
During a press conference on Sunday afternoon, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Parilla has an extensive criminal record of nearly 30 felony arrests, and 15 misdemeanor arrests. Parilla was released from the Florida Department of Corrections in March.
"His reasoning was because he said he felt like a caged rat," said Gualtieri. "He should never have been on the streets to begin with."
Tarpon Springs Chief of Police Robert Kochen opened the press conference by remembering Kondek as a person who was committed to his department and the community.
"As chief of police, I hoped I would never face such a day, a day that I would face the public to advice the loss of Tarpon Springs police officer," said Kochen. "We grieve for the community that lost a hero but with that grieving we have to have resolve, we have to move on, we have to heal. That's what we do. When one of our own goes down, it doesn't matter what badge you where, people come and help."
Tarpon Springs Mayor David Archie also spoke briefly after Kochen, expressing his condolences to Kondek's family and the community.
"This is one of the saddest days to me in my history here in Tarpon Springs," said Mayor Archie. "I just want to let the family know we stand with them. Our prayers and my prayers personally is with the family.
"We will stand strong, we will face this tragedy and I'm just thankful that we have the support of so many men and women that give up themselves every day."
Officer Kondek responds to a noise complaint call
During a press conference on Sunday, Sheriff Gualtieri said Officer Kondek responded to the area around 2 a.m. in response to a noise complaint which came from a resident at the apartment complex.
Gualtieri said the resident who called police reported a white Hyundai Elantra parked outside of the complex with music blaring. The resident said when he asked the woman sitting inside the car to turn the music down, she "flipped him off."
Prior to the call, Gualtieri said Parilla, and the woman in the car identified as Evelyn Desiree Santiago, were at a party in Holiday and came to the complex to confront a resident who Parilla believed had reported he violated his probation.
Parilla, who used to live in the complex, banged on the doors of two apartments but was unable to locate the person he was looking for, Gualtieri said. Meanwhile, one of the residents noticed a gun in Parilla's waistband and called police.
Officer Kondek, who was at the scene at the time, saw something within minutes of arriving that made him call for back up.
Sheriff Gualtieri said that's when Parilla began walking to the car and fired a .40 caliber handgun at Kondek, striking him in the upper chest.
Parilla then fled the scene, and put the car in reverse, backing up over Kondek, Gualtieri said.
At the same time, one of the residents from the apartment complex, identified as Germaine Roach, fires his 9 mm handgun at Parilla as he tries to flee.
Gualtieri said Roach, who also has a warrant out for his arrest, believed Parilla was at the complex to get him.
"We've got a triangle of people thinking they are each out to get each other, and they all have guns," said Gualtieri.
After Parilla flees the scene, he heads north on Grand Boulevard and engages in a brief pursuit with two other Tarpon Springs police officers before crashing into a power pole on Athens Street.
Parilla then fled on foot, but was eventually taken into custody, Gualtieri said.
Kondek, who was barely breathing once additional officers arrived at the scene, was transported to Florida Hospital North Pinellas, where he later died.
"He had no reason to do this, absolutely no reason to take a police officers life," said Gualtieri.
Kondek, 45, was a 17-year veteran of the department who worked many years on the midnight shift, officials said. Originally from New York, he spent five years as an officer with the New York City Police Department before moving to Florida. His wife works for the Pasco County Clerk's office.
He is the fourth officer killed in the line of duty in Tarpon Springs history. The last was Lanny Langford, who died in a crash on Nov. 18, 1969.
Before that, Everett Blewfield was killed by gunfire in 1926 and Marshal Rueben Jones was killed by gunfire in 1921.
Local politicians share their condolences
Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), today issued the following statement on the tragic shooting of Tarpon Springs Police Officer Charles Charlie K Kondek:
Like the rest of the community, I remain stunned and saddened by the tragic shooting of Tarpon Springs Police Officer Charles "Charlie K" Kondek. I have spoken to both Tarpon Springs Chief Robert Kochen and Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and offered them any assistance my office could provide. As a member of this community and the father of four sons, I cannot even begin to fathom the grief Officer Kondek's family is contending with, Bilirakis said.
We are Tarpon Strong and I know the community will rise to the occasion by providing the Kondek family and Tarpon Springs Police Department the comfort they need during this difficult time. Please keep in your thoughts all law enforcement officers who, on a daily basis, are dutifully willing to risk their lives to serve and protect. We are so appreciative of their commitment. And, also pray for Officer Kondek and the fallen law enforcement officers of the New York Police Department. May their memories be eternal and their lives a blessing.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio issued the following statement regarding the killing of police officers in Tarpon Springs and New York City:
Earlier today my wife and I were saddened to hear of the killing of Tarpon Springs police officer Charles Kondek, just hours after the nation was shocked by the horrific murder of two NYPD officers. These killings are stark and somber reminders of the risks our men and women in law enforcement take each and every day to keep us and our families safe.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the fallen, the men and women of the Tarpon Springs and New York Police Departments, and with the brave men and women of law enforcement across the country who continue their work today undaunted and undeterred. As we should every day, I thank them for the courage and sacrifices they and their families make in the service of our communities.
On Sunday, Congressman David Jolly tweeted the following posts regarding the killing of Kondek:
"I'm saddened by the loss of Tarpon Springs Police Officer Charles Kondek, a man who dedicated his life to serving and protecting others.
"My heartfelt condolences go out to Officer Kondek's family and loved ones."
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Florida Cop Shot, Killed in Tarpon Springs Shooting
A police officer was shot and killed early Sunday morning in Florida, officials said. Tarpon Springs Officer Charles "Charlie K" Kondek was shot and killed while responding to an incident at about 3 a.m. ET in Pinellas County, about 30 miles from Tampa, according to a Tarpon Springs Police Department statement. Pinellas County spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda said a suspect was in custody and was likely being questioned.
Barreda said Kondek's family had been notified. The 45-year-old officer was a 17-year law enforcement veteran, and got his start in the New York Police Department, according to the Tarpon Springs Police Department. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the Kondek Family and offer our deepest sympathy to them. May Charlie rest in peace and We Will Never Forget him," the Tarpon Springs Police Department posted on Facebook. People were leaving cards and flowers outside of police headquarters, where a police cruiser was parked outside to honor the fallen officer, according to WFLA.
The shooting came hours after a gunman shot and killed two police officers in Brooklyn before taking his own life. Investigators in New York believe the attacker boasted on social media about a plan to target cops, possibly out of revenge for the deaths of two unarmed black men who died in confrontations with police.
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Police officer shot to death in Florida
A suspect has been taken into custody and charged with first degree murder for allegedly fatally shooting a police officer in Tarpon Springs. The incident comes after a gunman killed two officers in NYC after issuing threats against police.
The suspect, identified as 23-year-old transient, Marco Antonio Parilla Jr. shot and killed veteran officer Charles Kondek early Sunday morning near the coastal town's Sponge Docks, local media reports. The 45-year-old father of five had been on the force for 18 years.
After the shooting the officer, the suspect fled the crime scene in a white Hyundai sedan, before crashing into a pole, where he was arrested, police spokesperson Cecilia Barreda told Bay News 9.
Several city blocks around the crime scene were cordoned off Sunday morning as investigators collected evidence.
A police news conference is planned for Sunday.
The killing comes on the heels of Saturday's double police murder in New York. A 28-year-old African-American man shot and killed two police officers in Brooklyn before turning the gun on himself. The man had posted assassination threats, including pictures of the pistol he would use to kill the officers, on Instagram earlier that day.
The suspect's alleged Instagram posts have led investigators to believe that the gunman was seeking to avenge the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, two unarmed black man who were killed by police officers earlier this year, spurring mass protests against police brutality and racial profiling nationwide.
The person believed to be the gunman used the hashtags #RIPEricGarner and #RIPMichaelBrown under the threatening pictures, captioned They Take 1 Of Ours. Let's Take 2 of Theirs and I'm Putting Wings on Pigs Today.
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Florida police officer who once worked for NYPD is fatally shot
Florida police officer and former member of the New York Police Department was shot and killed early Sunday morning while responding to a routine service call.
Tarpon Springs police Officer Charles Kondek was shot about 3 a.m. outside an apartment complex, said officials with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Kondek, 45, was taken to Florida Hospital North Pinellas, where he was pronounced dead.
It's just devastating. I never expected this would happen here in this city, Tarpon Springs Mayor David O. Archie told reporters Sunday afternoon. It's so unfortunate.
The shooter fled the scene, but the sheriff's office has arrested a suspect, identified as 23-year-old Marco Antonio Parilla Jr.
Court records show Parilla has a lengthy criminal history, consisting mostly of charges stemming from the distribution of narcotics.
He will face a charge of first-degree murder, the sheriff's office said.
As Parilla was led into the county jail about 30 miles north of Tampa, he was captured on video telling reporters, That was not my intention.
Kondek was a 17-year veteran of the Tarpon Springs Police Department. Before his time in Florida, he served for five years as an NYPD officer.
Sunday's shooting came a day after two NYPD officers were gunned down while inside a parked squad car in Brooklyn.
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