Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said deputies "did the right thing" when they shot and killed a woman coming toward them with a knife.
It happened just after 3:30 p.m. Thursday at a pet cemetery in the area of Denton Avenue and Dane Lane.
Nocco said 29-year-old Isabella North flagged down a woman to call 911 because she was armed with a knife and felt like she was "going to kill somebody." Once two deputies arrived, North pulled out a 12-inch knife and raised it above her head "in an attacking position," the sheriff said.
According to Nocco, the woman ignored repeated commands to "drop the knife" and continued quickly moving toward the deputies. They each fired one round at her to protect themselves.
"The subject did not allow us to talk to her...to de-escalate the situation," he said. "Our deputies did what they're trained to do."
The sheriff said the whole encounter happened in about 30 seconds, which was not enough time for the deputies to use their de-escalation techniques.
"This subject clearly was going to kill somebody. And had the deputies not done what they did, who knows what innocent citizen could’ve been killed by this subject out there tonight," he added.
Nocco called this "just as much of a tragic situation" for the deputies as it is for the community.
"Those deputies did the right thing," he said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will be investigating the shooting, which is the protocol for deputy-involved shootings. The deputies will be placed on administrative leave during the investigation.