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FHP, Lee Sheriff involved in incident that shut I-75; suspect in fatal shooting of St. Pete mother nabbed
By WGCU Staff
July 22, 2026 at 4:03 PM EDT
A suspect sought in the fatal shooting of a mother of four in St. Petersburg on Wednesday was stopped and arrested in Lee County after being located by the Florida Highway Patrol.
An FHP release said that at 12:30 p.m., troopers received a Be On The Lookout alert from the FHP Regional Communications Center regarding a suspect believed to be suicidal and involved in a homicide in St. Petersburg. Troopers located the suspect in Lee County around 2:30 p.m. and attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect fled.
Troopers finally stopped the suspect with a PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique) maneuver near southbound Exit 128 at Alico Road on southbound I-75.
Scene at standoff between suspect in a St. Petersburg fatal shooting and law enforcement. Scene is along southbound I-75 in Lee County involving FHP troopers, and Lee County deputies. (768x543, AR: 1.4143646408839778)
The suspect then barricaded himself inside his vehicle and multiple gunshots were fired at the suspect's vehicle. Troopers, along with Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies on scene, established contact with the suspect and he was ultimately taken into custody.
The suspect, identified by the FHP on Thursday as 43-year-old Ladavion King, remains in a hospital in serious condition. No law enforcement was injured on scene.
This incident remains an active criminal investigation.
During the incident both sides of I-75 were shutdown. The FHP reopened northbound lanes around 5 p.m. and the entire freeway after the incident investigation concluded.
Police in St. Petersburg report that a city sanitation worker and 47-year-old mother of four was fatally shot at a work site around 12:30 p.m. in what they believe was a domestic-related incident.
To plan an alternate route and receive the latest updates on road closures, motorists should connect with Florida 511 online at FL511.com before traveling.
FHP and Lee Sheriff personnel at the scene of a crash and shooting along southbound I-75 at Alico Road Wednesday afternoon (2048x1152, AR: 1.7777777777777777)
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
An FHP release said that at 12:30 p.m., troopers received a Be On The Lookout alert from the FHP Regional Communications Center regarding a suspect believed to be suicidal and involved in a homicide in St. Petersburg. Troopers located the suspect in Lee County around 2:30 p.m. and attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect fled.
Troopers finally stopped the suspect with a PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique) maneuver near southbound Exit 128 at Alico Road on southbound I-75.
Scene at standoff between suspect in a St. Petersburg fatal shooting and law enforcement. Scene is along southbound I-75 in Lee County involving FHP troopers, and Lee County deputies. (768x543, AR: 1.4143646408839778)
The suspect then barricaded himself inside his vehicle and multiple gunshots were fired at the suspect's vehicle. Troopers, along with Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies on scene, established contact with the suspect and he was ultimately taken into custody.
The suspect, identified by the FHP on Thursday as 43-year-old Ladavion King, remains in a hospital in serious condition. No law enforcement was injured on scene.
This incident remains an active criminal investigation.
During the incident both sides of I-75 were shutdown. The FHP reopened northbound lanes around 5 p.m. and the entire freeway after the incident investigation concluded.
Police in St. Petersburg report that a city sanitation worker and 47-year-old mother of four was fatally shot at a work site around 12:30 p.m. in what they believe was a domestic-related incident.
To plan an alternate route and receive the latest updates on road closures, motorists should connect with Florida 511 online at FL511.com before traveling.
FHP and Lee Sheriff personnel at the scene of a crash and shooting along southbound I-75 at Alico Road Wednesday afternoon (2048x1152, AR: 1.7777777777777777)
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.