Officer Down… In St. Petersburg… Another teen lost to violent crime.

A detective with St. Petersburg Police was shot several times Monday night.

The suspects are 16, 17, and 18. They are currently in custody.

Two on duty police detectives saw the 3 teens acting suspiciously while on bicycles at about 2220 hrs on Monday night. The detectives immediately called for backup.

Once the police called for back up the 3 suspects left their bikes in and an alley and walked into an Exxon station on 1st Ave N.

2 of the teens robbed the store while the 3rd teen was acting as the lookout.











After the robbery, the detective approached the suspects and was in the process of detaining one of the suspects when James Allen Seay,18, shot the detective multiple times in the upper and lower body.

The St. Petersburg police detective shot Monday night appears to be improving, according to St. Petersburg Police Chief Chuck Harmon.

Even though the detective was shot multiple times, he was able to return fire. He did not hit anyone, but was able to return fire.

I often wondered when I worked in law enforcement if I would be able to maintain enough to return fire if I was ever hit. Thank God I never had to find out, but I think with the way I always reverted back to my training I could have.

All 3 of the suspects ran but were later arrested. Seay was captured by a police K-9 and had to be transported to the ER for treatment.

Police were able to recover Seay’s semi-automatic handgun along with a bandana and a ski mask.

The identity of the wounded detective is being withheld because he works undercover. The detective has served with the St. Petersburg police department for 19 years.

It has been reported that the officer is improving after surgery at the trauma center on Tuesday morning. He is still listed in serious but stable condition.

The police chief said he was concerned about the officer’s long term prognosis.

Now as my recent post have stated, who can the family blame?

The family has been in the media claiming they want to sue the police because they think the police could have handled this situation in a different manor.
What did the family want the police to do?

The family seems to think the police should have rushed in when they first noticed the 3 teens acting suspiciously and arrested them on the spot.

Of course if this would have happened what would have the family said then? I could hear them claiming police harassment since they are reporting that James Seay is such a good boy.

If it was that easy to just stop crime, don’t you think the police would be doing it? Just because is not a reason, the police need probable cause and something to act on. From reading what was in the media, it seems the police were in the process of taking action and done the proper thing and called for backup.

Which should have been done to ensure the safety of all those involved, but even if the police intervened before the robbery, would it have made a difference in the outcome?

Would Seay still have shot the police officer?

Would Seay shot the officer multiple times in the upper and lower body if the police took other actions? I guess we will never know. The family seems to think it would have made a difference. I personally think if they were involved in other armed robberies in the area it would have made no difference at all.

Now I don’t understand some of the family and their statements. The family said they don’t condone what James Seay done, but they don’t approve of the way the police department handled everything.

I guess I’m just a little confused since I don’t see that the police handled the situation in a bad manor.

I could understand the fact that they are upset over losing their son to crime. He is 18 and if convicted he can spend the rest of his life in prison.

Seay made a decision that could have been fatal and cost a police officer his life. I just cannot believe that there were not some behavioral problems prior to this incident.

Some of the family wants to blame peer pressure… That statement alone brings up a whole new look into this incident. Why would an 18 year old feel peer pressure from a 16 and 17 year old? Did the younger teens actually have that amount of influence on the older teen? Are we to actually believe that a 16 year old put pressure on an older guy and convinced him to shot a police officer? Are the younger teens responsible for them committing the armed robberies the police think they have been involved in?

Maybe once again instead of looking for someone to blame, the family needs to realize James Allen Seay was involved in some serious criminal activities and now he will pay the price for the crimes he committed.

Even Seay’s uncle was in the media stating the family was devastated. But he also believes the police allowed this boy to ruin the rest of his life.

Maybe Seay should have thought about the rest of his life before he pulled the trigger and shot a police officer multiple times. It seems that once again instead of morals and standards being taught in the home, they feel that someone else should have taken the time to help keep this teenager from making a mistake that could cost him life in prison.

Now the Seay family reported to the media that they are considering legal action against the St. Petersburg Police Department.

I personally think the Seay family should Thank God that James Allen Seay is alive and not shot multiple times and not laying in a hospital bed in intensive care and not knowing his outcome. At least Seay knows he will be housed, feed and provided free medical, vision and dental care for the rest of his life. Unlike the police officer laying in intensive care who has showed some improvement but still doctors are unsure of his long term prognosis.




Please take a minute and pray for the recovery of the St. Petersburg detective that was shot multiple times.

Because of the age, the names of the 16 and 17 year old are not being released.

Updates in the comments.