TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Deputy's Shooting Of Drug Suspect Justified, Officials Say

ADVERTISEMENT

By GEOFF FOX

gfox@tampatrib.com

Published: March 13, 2009

HOLIDAY - A Pasco County Sheriff's Office deputy was cleared of wrongdoing in the shooting death of a suspected drug dealer who had opened fire on the sheriff's SWAT team.

The Feb. 20 shooting of Luther Hudson, 38, a Missouri native once convicted of attempted murder, was justifiable homicide, state attorney Bernie McCabe concluded today. The State Attorney's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated the shooting, as is protocol in such cases.

Hudson was killed during a raid at his home at 3550 Windham Road, where detectives had conducted an undercover investigation for months.

Sentenced to 12 years in prison after a 1988 shooting in which he shot into two police vehicles in Tarpon Springs, Hudson had said he would never go back to jail and opened fire on deputies inside the house, records said.

Detective Clint Cabbage was about 2 feet from a room where Hudson was hiding when a bullet struck his bulletproof vest and belt buckle, McCabe wrote. Cabbage fired his shotgun as he entered the room while Hudson fired again, missing.

Cabbage returned fire, striking Hudson, who fell to the ground and dropped a 25-caliber semi-automatic handgun. Hudson was pronounced dead at Community Hospital of New Port Richey; the bullet had struck his arm before penetrating his heart.

When Hudson fired at Cabbage, "he was committing the crime of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer," McCabe wrote.

Hudson also had served prison time on drug charges. A bag containing 18.5 grams of crack cocaine was found next to Hudson's bed.

"Those situations are always dangerous," sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll said. "Deputies go in as well-prepared as they can be. Of course, they will defend themselves in such a situation."

Reporter Geoff Fox can be reached at (813) 779-4613.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT