Suspect identified in Wednesday afternoon I-75 standoff

UPDATE: The homicide suspect has been identified as Ladavion King and is being treated in a Lee County hospital, according to the St. Pete Police Department

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — A suspect wanted in connection with a St. Petersburg homicide is in custody after barricading inside a vehicle on I-75 in Lee County, leading to a standoff that shut down the highway for hours Wednesday afternoon.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office and Florida Highway Patrol responded to the scene after troopers located the King's vehicle in the southbound lanes of I-75.

Dramatic video sent to WINK News appears to show law enforcement taking King into custody shortly after shots were fired during the standoff, just after 5 p.m.

Drone video also captured part of the scene, showing a large law enforcement presence on I-75 during the standoff:

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, troopers were pursuing a solo vehicle from St. Petersburg after King became wanted in connection with a homicide.

The St. Petersburg Police Department said officers responded shortly after noon Wednesday to a reported shooting in the 4100 block of 12th Avenue South.

Police said the victim was a 47-year-old woman who worked as a City of St. Petersburg sanitation technician for 12 years. She was shot and killed while sitting inside her front-loader work vehicle, according to police.

Shannon Wickson drove past the crime scene just as police were beginning their investigation.

"Her body was inside of it, and there was just hundreds of people. I mean, hundreds of people there. So you could tell that she was really loved," Wickson said.

Wickson says even without knowing the victim personally, it was clear the loss was being felt across the community.

"I mean it's very, very heartbreaking. I'm a mother of five, and I could not imagine, you know, what her family's going through, or what you know everybody's going through with the loss to her," Wickson said.

After the shooting, the Florida Highway Patrol says troopers tried to pull over the suspect, who was wanted in connection with the killing. He ran and locked himself inside a truck on I-75 in Lee County.

The standoff brought traffic to a complete stop in both directions of the interstate for hours, with deputies shutting down the roadway as helicopters circled overhead.

According to FHP and LCSO, two northbound outside lanes later reopened while southbound traffic was diverted off the interstate as emergency crews continued operations on scene.

Officers eventually opened fire, and video from the scene shows law enforcement taking the suspect into custody.

Troopers attempted to stop the vehicle, and the suspect barricaded themselves within the car.

According to law enforcement on the scene, they have cleared the area and that officers on site are “shaken” but no injuries.

WINK News was on the scene and spoke with driver Mike Jones.

"I'm mind blown. Tell you the truth. It's just out of hand, out of control," Jones said.

Javier Boral was driving home to Naples when he got caught in the traffic backup.

"We saw a couple of little red ticks on the GPS. Didn't think much of it," Boral said.

Ryan Byrne was also stuck on the road.

"Everybody's stuck out here like this. I'm trying to get to work," Byrne said.

WINK News spoke with St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway, who said the victim, a 47-year-old mother who worked for the city, was shot and killed during what police believe was a domestic dispute.

The woman, who had worked for the city for around 10 years, was shot several times by a suspect who got into the cab of a front loader during an argument. Police do not know if she was working or on a lunch break at the time of her death.

St. Petersburg police believe this was a domestic shooting and not a random act. 

"All we know right now is that she was here, some type of argument was started, and during the argument the suspect got into the cab of the front loader and shot her several times," Chief Anthony Holloway said.

St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch addressed the tragedy and thanked the police department for their response.

"I want to thank the St. Pete Police Department for their work with... They will find the suspect," Welch said. "This is a difficult day for the families that have lost a loved one, a difficult day for our St. Pete team. Our administration has already put in place counselors for our team and victims' advocates for the family. We'll help the family get through this, help the St. Pete team get through this, and the suspect will be brought to justice. And again, Chief, thank you and your team for following up on this."

The city has provided counselors for employees and victims' advocates for the family.

The Florida Highway Patrol says the suspect is now in the hospital with serious injuries. Troopers say no one else was hurt.

The closure on I-75 has since been cleared, but the investigation into the killing in Saint Petersburg remains ongoing.