Florida police officer shot dead by fugitive
A police officer shot dead in Florida was killed by a fugitive trying to evade a warrant.
After the shooting Marco Parilla, 23, got into his car and ran over officer Charles Kondek then crashed into a pole and another vehicle. Parilla was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder.
The shooting in Tarpon Springs, a Greek-populated fishing village in the Tampa Bay area, does not appear to have any connection to the ambush killings of two New York police officers.
Officer Kondek, 45, a father of six, was killed after responding to a nuisance call at about 2am at a flats complex. Parilla was pounding on doors looking for a neighbour who “dimed him out” to police, authorities said.
When Parilla saw the officer, he fired multiple rounds, striking him once above his bullet-proof vest.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Parilla served more than two years in prison for several offences including drug charges and was released in March. He was listed as a fugitive for breaking his probation conditions.
Police said Parilla told investigators that when he saw the officer he “felt like a caged rat” and did not want to return to prison.
“I apologise to the family” of the officer, he told reporters while being escorted to jail. “That was not my intention.”
Parilla then got in his car and ran over the officer before crashing into a pole and another vehicle, police said.
Originally from New York, Officer Kondek previously served with the New York Police Department for more than five years.
