Deputies kill man suspected of slaying wife

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) – A man holding a shotgun was fatally shot by sheriff’s deputies in northeast Florida moments after he killed his wife, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said.

The shooting happened around 9 p.m. Monday in St. Augustine after deputies responded to a 911 call.

Two deputies were confronted by Timothy West, 48, who was standing in the home’s front yard holding the shotgun. The deputies fired multiple shots at him when he pointed the gun their way, said sheriff’s Cmdr. Chuck Mulligan.

The sheriff’s office said Sgt. James Priester and Deputy Joshua Butler shouted several times for West to drop his weapon before opening fire.

Mulligan said the body of West’s wife, Tonya West, 33, was inside the home.

There were also children at the home who were removed by a neighbor who called 911. The children were not hurt, Mulligan said.

In the 911 call, part of which was released by the sheriff’s office, the neighbor is heard talking to the suspect as the police are on the way.

“Hey, what’s going on man? The cops are coming man, put that down!” the man says to the suspect.

“He’s got a gun,” the man tells the dispatcher. “Put it down man!”

Both Priester and Butler will be placed on administrative leave while the case is investigated.

It was the second fatal shooting involving deputies from St. Johns County this month.

On Dec. 14, deputies fatally shot Daniel Torres, 51, after he threatened them with a knife. Authorities said he had tried to break into his estranged wife’s house.