Florida Standoff Suspect Dies After Killing Two Cops, Wounding Marshal

Jan. 24, 2011— -- As many 200 rounds were fired in a close-quarters firefight inside the attic of a Florida home, leaving two cops dead along with ex-con who was wanted for aggravated battery.

After the initial volley of gunfire, and news that two St. Petersburg Police Department officers and a deputy U.S. marshal had been wounded, SWAT officers entered the home again in a dangerous rescue operation that involved more gunfire, tear gas, and an armored truck that rammed the house in order to create a hole in the side of the building.

One of the wounded officers was trapped inside the attic, and in order to rescue the mortally wounded cop the SWAT team had to battle its way back into the attic under heavy gunfire.

Cops showed up at the home about 7 a.m. today looking to interview a relative of Hydra Lacy, 39, who was wanted for aggravated battery. The relative, believed to be his wife, told officers Lacy was hiding in the attic and was potentially armed.

The cops walked into an ambush. Officer Jeffrey Yaslowitz went up into the attic and was quickly shot down. Yaslowitz, the father of three, is a member of the department's canine unit whose shift had ended but had volunteered to help respond to a call for backup at the Lacy home.

An unidentified deputy marshal on his heels was wounded twice in the exchange. The marshal is in stable condition at Bayfront Medical Center, where all three men were taken.

Sgt. Tom Baitinger, 48, a veteran detective, tried to rescue Yaslowitz from the attic. He was wearing a bullet proof vest and holding a ballistic shield in front of him, but Harmon indicated with his hands that the bullet came from above.

For hours, police tried to contact the gunman, unsure if he "was wounded, or laying in wait," said Police Chief Chuck Harmon.

"As soon as we could muster enough folks to safely go back in, we did," said Harmon. "They got Officer Yaslowitz out of the attic. While doing this they were being fired upon."

"I heard 150 to 200 gunshots during the exchange," Harmon said.