Manatee deputies shoot Parrish man who pointed gun at them, sheriff says
Deputies shot and critically wounded a Parrish man after he pointed a gun at them during a domestic disturbance Monday night, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a home in the 13000 block of Shimmering Amethyst Court around 10 p.m. and encountered 29-year-old Hayden Firth outside. According to the agency, Firth ignored commands before pulling a firearm from his waistband. Deputies then opened fire, striking him three times, according to a news release.
Sheriff Rick Wells said Tuesday at a news conference that the encounter escalated within minutes. Deputies were dispatched around 10 p.m., arrived at the home by 10:02 p.m. and opened fire by about 10:05 p.m., he said.
When deputies first arrived, Wells said they spoke with Firth’s wife, who told them he had been drinking throughout the day and that an argument led him to grab a gun and leave the house. She said she feared he might harm himself after walking behind the home into a wooded area.
As deputies spoke with her, Firth came from the side of the house “very belligerent, not complying to any of the commands,” Wells said. At one point, he told deputies it was going to be “suicide by cop” and began to walk away, according to Wells.
Deputies continued to order him to stop, put his hands up and turn around, but Wells said he ignored every command.
A deputy warned Firth he was about to be tased, to which he responded, “I don’t care, you’re going to have to kill me,” according to Wells. He said Firth then pulled a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun from his waistband, turned toward deputies and pointed it at them, prompting deputies to fire three times and strike him in both arms and the lower abdomen.
Wells said deputies provided medical aid after the shooting. Firth was taken to a hospital, where the sheriff’s office said he remains in critical but stable condition. No deputies were hurt, officials said.
The sheriff added there had been no previous domestic violence calls to the home and that Firth had no prior convictions.
The three deputies involved were placed on administrative leave, which the sheriff’s office described as standard protocol in officer-involved shooting investigations. Wells said the shooting was captured on body camera, but the footage will not be released until the investigation is complete.
Wells said investigators have not yet filed charges but are determining what they may be. He added that the agency is also considering a risk protection order, which would prevent Firth from possessing firearms.
It was the second time in less a week that Manatee deputies have opened fire on a suspect. On Sept. 10, SWAT deputies fatally shot 61-year-old Michael Richard Shanteau after he fired at them during an hours-long standoff at his Bradenton home, according to the sheriff’s office.
Wells said the back-to-back shootings highlight the dangers deputies face.
“You know this is a dangerous job, and these men and women, they understand that they take on that responsibility each and every day, you never know what’s going to happen. So we had a shooting last week, and here I am back in front of you. Less than a week has passed,” Wells said.
This story was originally published September 16, 2025 at 11:19 AM.
