22-040 Detectives Investigate St. Petersburg Police Department Officer-Involved Shooting

Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force
-Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
-Clearwater Police Department
-Pinellas Park Police Department

St. Petersburg Police Department

Torey Donnell Barber (Suspect – Injured)
DOB: 07/11/1999
Address: Transient
Charges: Pending

St. Petersburg Police Officer Christian Collins (Officer – Uninjured)
Age: 26
Date of hire: 02/04/2022

PINELLAS COUNTY- Detectives assigned to Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force are investigating an officer involved shooting.

At approximately 8:50 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, 2022, St. Petersburg Police Officer Christian Collins and his Field Training Officer (FTO) responded to a call of a male armed with a gun walking in the area of 22^nd Avenue South and 34^th Street South in St. Petersburg.

According to detectives, officers arrived to the area and they saw the male, later identified as 22-year-old Torey Barber. Barber was north of the intersection walking eastbound when the officers saw him with the firearm in his hand. The FTO challenged Barber to drop the gun, however Barber fled on foot northbound on 34^th Street South.

Detectives say the FTO pursued Barber on foot as Officer Collins followed behind in a fully marked St. Petersburg Police Department vehicle. Barber ran into the parking lot located at 2140 34^th Street South and began running southbound. According to detectives, Barber pointed his gun at Officer Collins. Officer Collins then fired his gun from the inside of his vehicle striking Barber in the upper body area.

Barber was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Charges are pending.

In 2020, the Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Taskforce was created to ensure the investigations conducted into law enforcement use of deadly force are thorough, complete, and objective. The purpose of this taskforce is to make sure that officer-involved shootings in Pinellas County are investigated by an independent agency and not by the agency involved in the use of deadly force.

Sheriff Gualtieri held a press conference on scene and it can be found here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFwzZcAj1pQ

The investigation continues.